Sze Fei-Izzuddin lose Japan Open final and world No. 1 ranking
The Malaysians, who claimed a career-defining title at the same tournament last year, were outplayed 21-16, 21-17 by the Won Ho-Seung Jae at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium.
It was a statement win for Won Ho-Seung Jae, who are set to rise to the world No. 1 spot for the first time when the new BWF world rankings are released on Tuesday — displacing Sze Fei-Izzuddin at the summit.
Sze Fei-Izzuddin are expected to drop to third as a result of failing to defend their title-winning points from last year.
The Koreans, who only paired up earlier this year, have now racked up five titles in a dream season, underlining their unstoppable form heading into the Paris World Championships next month.
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The Star
4 hours ago
- The Star
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But I think we made a big breakthrough in this competition." Looking ahead to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, Russian swimmers will still be China's biggest competitors. "They (NAB) have a solid talent pool in artistic swimming. Many of their athletes are very young, born in 2007 and 2008, yet they perform at a very high level," Zhang said. "This is something we really admire and respect. Their performance still stays at a very high standard, with good synchronization, teamwork and consistency. This brings a lot of challenges for us in the future. We just won this time, but we still have a long way to go." "Compared to them, we need to make some adjustments. Many of our veteran swimmers are dealing with injuries, so we'll have to make some changes going forward," Zhang continued. "Also, I think the choreography of Spain, Italy and France is excellent." "We must always consider ourselves as challengers, never take the champion's position for granted. 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The Star
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Stern China test awaits Pearly-Thinaah in semi-finals
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