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New Straits Times
08-07-2025
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Sze Fei–Izzuddin lead Tokyo charge
KUALA LUMPUR: Goh Sze Fei–Nur Izzuddin Rumsani will return to the Japan Open next week not only as top seeds, but as defending champions tasked with preserving their world No. 1 status in a razor-tight race. The pair's triumph in Tokyo last year was a career-defining breakthrough — their first Super 750 title — and ended Malaysia's 22-year wait in the event since Chan Chong Ming–Chew Choon Eng won in 2002. That victory lit the spark that eventually propelled Sze Fei–Izzuddin to the top of the world rankings recently. Now holding a slim lead over compatriots Aaron Chia–Soh Wooi Yik and South Korea's Kim Won Ho–Seo Seung Jae, their title defence is far from straightforward — especially with the release of the draw on Tuesday. Sze Fei–Izzuddin will open their campaign against Canadians Kevin Lee–Ty Lindeman, before a potential last-16 meeting with Japan's Hiroki Midorikawa–Kyohei Yamashita. Should they advance, a clash with Indonesia's seventh seeds Sabar Karyaman Gutama–Moh Reza Pahlevi Isfahani looms in the quarter-finals, and a possible semi-final against fourth seeds Kim Astrup–Anders Skaarup Rasmussen of Denmark. Aaron–Wooi Yik, currently the most in-form pair on tour with three titles from their last five tournaments — Asia Championships, Thailand Open and Singapore Open — are seeded second and face a fiery start against fellow Malaysians Ong Yew Sin–Teo Ee Yi in the opening round. Their projected path includes Japan's Kenya Mitsuhashi–Hiroki Okamura in the second round, China's fifth seeds Liang Wei Keng–Wang Chang in the quarters, and Won Ho–Seung Jae, fresh off their Indonesia Open triumph last month, in the last four. Two other Malaysian pairs will meet in the first round, with Man Wei Chong–Tee Kai Wun drawn against younger compatriots Wan Arif Junaidi–Yap Roy King, while veterans Nur Azriyn Ayub–Tan Wee Kiong face French brothers Christo and Toma Junior Popov. In women's doubles, world No. 3 Pearly Tan–M. Thinaah will be aiming for a strong restart after officially committing to a new three-year contract with the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) until 2028 — putting to bed speculation of a professional switch after months of delay since their previous contract expired at the end of last year. They begin their campaign against Bulgaria's Stoeva sisters, Stefanie and Gabriela, followed by a potential last-16 tie with Indonesia's Febriana Dwipuji Kusuma–Amallia Cahaya Pratiwi, quarter-finals with South Korea's Kim Hye Jeong–Kong Hee Yong, and a possible blockbuster semi-final against home favourites and nemeses Nami Matsuyama–Chiharu Shida. Two other combinations Go Pei Kee–Teoh Mei Xing and Ong Xin Yee–Carmen Ting face tough openers against South Korea's fourth seeds Baek Ha Na–Lee So Hee and sixth seeds Rin Iwanaga–Kie Nakanishi of Japan, respectively. Malaysia's mixed doubles will also see four pairs in action, led by fourth seeds Chen Tang Jie–Toh Ee Wei, who will take on Kevin Lee–Josephine Wu of Canada. Their route includes a tricky second round against China's Guo Xin Wa–Chen Fang Hui, quarter-finals against Thom Gicquel–Delphine Delrue of France, and a potential semi-final against China's second seeds Jiang Zhen Bang–Wei Ya Xin. Veteran duo Goh Soon Huat–Shevon Lai Jemie open against Thailand's Ruttanapak Oupthong–Jhenicha Sudjaipraparat, while Hoo Pang Ron–Cheng Su Yin and Wong Tien Ci–Lim Chiew Sien face Presley Smith-Jennie Gai and Yuichi Shimogami-Sayaka Hobara from the US and Japan respectively. In men's singles, Leong Jun Hao will be Malaysia's sole representative after Lee Zii Jia pulled out due to injury. The 25-year-old faces a tough first round assignment against eighth seed and defending champion Alex Lanier of France.
The Star
06-07-2025
- Sport
- The Star
Rising with the rank
Staying calm at top: National men's doubles shuttlers Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani are ready to rumble in Japan and China meets. PETALING JAYA: Professional men's doubles pair Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin Rumsani are growing stronger as a pair under the spotlight of being the world No. 1. And that's good news to the players' assistant coach Ameer Amri Zainuddin, who sees it as a promising sign. 'If you look at their last three outings in Malaysia, Indonesia and especially Singapore, they've shown more composure and maturity,' said Ameer. 'One of the positives I've noticed is that the communication between Sze Fei and Izzuddin has also improved since they returned to training after those three tournaments,' he said. Since rising to the top of the world rankings on May 27, they have reached the quarter-finals of three consecutive tournaments – the Malaysian Masters, Singapore Open and Indonesian Open. They became the first Malaysian men's pair to hit No. 1 since Goh V Shem-Tan Wee Kiong did so in 2016 – a feat achieved nine years ago. Sze Fei and Izzuddin currently sit at the top with 91,090 ranking points, but their lead is being closely chased by compatriots and former world champions Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik (89,870) and world No. 7 Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun (71,843). Denmark's Kim Astrup-Anders Skaarup Rasmussen are in third with 88,061, while South Korea's Kim Won-ho-Seo Seung-jae, who have already captured five titles this year, are not far behind at No. 4 with 85,805. Ameer knows Sze Fei-Izzuddin face the pressure of retaining the top spot when they compete in the Japan Open from July 15-20 and the China Open from July 22-27 but he is not worried. As the defending champions in both Opens, the duo risk losing valuable ranking points if they lose early. 'Carrying the weight of being world No. 1 can be tough, but at the same time, I'm glad to see strong competition from other national pairs like Aaron-Wooi Yik and (Man) Wei Chong-(Tee) Kai Wun. It's positive,' said Ameer. 'In fact, the depth in the squad helps ease the pressure of being the sole pair expected to deliver titles for the country. 'Sze Fei-Izzuddin are not too fixated on the world rankings. Of course, it's a great achievement to be ranked No. 1, but that's not their main focus right now. 'What matters more to them at this stage is maintaining consistency in every tournament they compete in.'
New Straits Times
07-06-2025
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Sze Fei-Izzuddin feeling the weight of world No.1 crown
KUALA LUMPUR: The world No.1 crown is getting heavy for Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani who sagged under it at this week's Indonesia Open. The Malaysian top seeds unexpectedly went down 21-19, 6-21, 21-19 to Indonesia's world No. 8 Sabar Karyaman-Moh Reza Isfahani in the last eight. Sze Fei-Izzuddin should have won as they were leading 19-17 in the rubber. Perhaps the pressure and the expectations got to them. Sze Fei hopes that the setback will make them stronger. "Painful losses, moments of doubt... but every struggle is shaping something bigger," wrote Sze Fei on Instagram. "Trust the process especially when it's hard." Sze Fei-Izzuddin became the first Malaysians to scale the world No. 1 spot since Lee Chong Wei last held it in June 2017, and the first men's pair since Goh V Shem-Tan Wee Kiong's achievement in March that year. Sze Fei-Izzuddin's struggles were already evident in the first two rounds of the Indonesia Open where they needed three games to overcome Taiwan's world No. 21 Lee Fang Cheh-Lee Fang Jen and 28th-ranked compatriots Nur Mohd Azriyn-Tan Wee Kiong. Beating these opponents used to be routine for the Malaysian duo who captured four World Tour titles — the Japan, China, Arctic and India Opens — since August last year. This is because Sze Fei-Izzuddin's rivals have been analysing their play and coming up with more detailed strategies. Sze Fei-Izzuddin have not reached the semi-finals on the World Tour since their last victory — at the India Open in January. Doubles legend Datuk Razif Sidek had pointed out that it is now tougher for the duo to stay at the top. "Becoming world No. 1 is easier than remaining at the top because every rival will be chasing them now. They need to get used to the pressure and keep working hard and have new goals," said Razif.
New Straits Times
05-06-2025
- Sport
- New Straits Times
UPDATED: Malaysian badminton makes history with men's pairs dominating world's top 2 rankings
KUALA LUMPUR: Goh Sze Fei–Nur Izzuddin Rumsani held their nerve to keep their place at the summit of the world rankings, and in doing so, ensured they remain the leading pair in what is now a historic Malaysian one-two in men's doubles. The world No. 1 duo survived a scare at the Indonesia Open on Thursday, rallying to beat world No. 28 compatriots Nur Mohd Azriyn Ayub–Tan Wee Kiong 21-14, 16-21, 21-14 in a tense second-round clash at the Istora Senayan. It was not a match to be taken lightly. The two pairs had met three times previously, with Sze Fei–Izzuddin holding a narrow 2-1 edge, a reminder that their fellow independent and training mates are no pushovers. Had they lost, Sze Fei–Izzuddin would have been overtaken by fellow Malaysians Aaron Chia–Soh Wooi Yik, who are projected to move up to No. 2 despite a first-round exit, thanks to the rolling points system and key upsets in the draw. But by advancing to the quarter-finals, Sze Fei–Izzuddin retained enough points to hold onto top spot with the current projected total of 91,090, narrowly ahead of Aaron–Wooi Yik's 89,870. Sze Fei–Izzuddin could now look to extend their lead depending on how far they go in Jakarta. It's still a landmark moment for Malaysian badminton, with two pairs set to be officially ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the world when the new rankings are updated next Tuesday, a feat never before achieved in the country's storied history in men's doubles. The last time Malaysia had two pairs in the top three came in 2006, when Koo Kien Keat–Chan Chong Ming were ranked No. 2 and Choong Tan Fook–Lee Wan Wah sat at No. 3. But never have two Malaysian pairs simultaneously occupied the top two spots, until now. Aaron–Wooi Yik, the 2022 world champions, gained ground after Denmark's Kim Astrup–Anders Skaarup Rasmussen were ousted in the second round by Japan's Takuro Hoki–Yugo Kobayashi. The Danes lost 29-27, 21-11 in a match they needed to win to defend their semi-final points from last year, and are expected to fall to 87,520 and drop to third in the rankings. It was a pressure-filled outing for Sze Fei–Izzuddin, who had quarter-final points to defend from last year and needed the win to avoid being dethroned just two weeks after becoming Malaysia's first new men's pair to reach No. 1 since Goh V Shem–Tan Wee Kiong in 2016. Next up, Sze Fei–Izzuddin will face Indonesia's world No. 8 pair Sabar Karyaman Gutama–Moh Reza Pahlevi Isfahani in the quarter-finals. The two pairs have met only twice previously, with their last encounter, at the China Masters in November last year, going down to the wire before the Indonesians edged a thrilling 18-21, 21-18, 23-21 win.
New Straits Times
05-06-2025
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Sze Fei-Izzuddin cling on to world No. 1 spot
KUALA LUMPUR: Goh Sze Fei–Nur Izzuddin Rumsani held their nerve to keep their place at the summit of the world rankings — and in doing so, ensured they remain the leading pair in what is now a historic Malaysian one-two in men's doubles. The world No. 1 duo survived a major scare at the Indonesia Open today, rallying to beat world No. 28 compatriots Nur Mohd Azriyn Ayub–Tan Wee Kiong 21-14, 16-21, 21-14 in a tense second-round clash at the Istora Senayan. Had they lost, Sze Fei–Izzuddin would have been overtaken by fellow Malaysians Aaron Chia–Soh Wooi Yik, who are projected to move up to No. 2 despite a first-round exit, thanks to the rolling points system and key upsets in the draw. But by advancing to the quarter-finals, Sze Fei–Izzuddin retained enough points to hold onto top spot with a projected total of 91,090 — narrowly ahead of Aaron–Wooi Yik's 89,870. Sze Fei–Izzuddin could now look to extend their lead depending on how far they go in Jakarta. It's still a landmark moment for Malaysian badminton — with two pairs set to be officially ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the world when the new rankings are updated next Tuesday, a feat never before achieved in the country's storied history in men's doubles. Aaron–Wooi Yik, the 2022 world champions, gained ground after Denmark's Kim Astrup–Anders Skaarup Rasmussen were ousted in the second round by Japan's Takuro Hoki–Yugo Kobayashi. The Danes, who were defending semi-final points from last year, are expected to fall to 87,520 and drop to third in the rankings. It was a pressure-filled outing for Sze Fei–Izzuddin, who had quarter-final points to defend from last year and needed the win to avoid being dethroned just two weeks after becoming Malaysia's first new men's pair to reach No. 1 since Goh V Shem–Tan Wee Kiong in 2016.
