Gaining the upper hand: Nur Izzuddin Rumsani (right) and Goh Sze Fei returning a shot to China’s He Jiting and Ren Xiangyu during the men’s doubles final of the China Open in Changzhou. — AFP
PETALING JAYA: Men’s doubles shuttlers Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani smashed all sorts of records when they lifted the China Open title but they were in no mood to celebrate.
They had ended a 35-year wait for a men’s doubles title on China’s soil, which was last won by the legendary Sidek brothers Jalani-Razif in 1989, when they captured their biggest career title in Changzhou yesterday.
Sze Fei-Izzuddin defeated world No. 7 homesters He Jiting and an injured Ren Xiangyu 13-21, 21-12, 21-17 in the final at the Olympic Sports Center Gymnasium.
Xiangyu hurt his lower back at the end of the first game and received treatment from the team’s physiotherapist instead of Badminton World Federation’s medical team. He resumed play and refused to throw in the towel.
The injury, however, had hampered the Chinese pair especially in the second game and Sze Fei-Izzuddin showed great sportsmanship by not celebrating after the win.
In fact, they crossed over to their opponents’ court to shake hands and whispered encouraging words to Xiangyu.
“This is not the way we wanted to win a Super 1000 title,” said Sze Fei in a post match interview with the Badminton World Federation (BWF) after pocketing RM622,000 prize money.
“When Xiangyu got injured, we had to stay focused on our own part. Mentally, we had to be switched on.
“We hope we can maintain our performance and move up the rankings.”
It was the world No. 12 pair’s first World Tour Super 1000 title and maiden crown since turning independent this month.
It was also their second title this year after winning the Japan Open last month.
They also became the first Malaysians to emerge champions since Datuk Lee Chong Wei captured the men’s singles crown in 2015.
Sze Fei-Izzuddin ended Malaysia’s two-year wait for a Super 1000 title after Lee Zii Jia last won the Asian Championships in 2022.
The duo also prevented a clean sweep by China, who had won all the other events infront of their adoring fans.
In the mixed doubles, another independent pair, world No. 12 Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai Jemie finished runners-up after going down 21-16, 14-21, 17-21 to world No. 3 Feng Yanzhe-Huang Dongping.
Despite the defeat, Soon Huat-Shevon were proud of their efforts after not giving up until the end despite trailing 11-20 in the third game.
“It’s mixed feelings for us. For me, I’m quite satisfied with our match today (yesterday),” said Shevon.
“Although we lost, we gave everything on court. Soon Huat was running all around the court, covering every shot and doing his very best.
“We managed to take the first game which gave us a bit more confidence. In the second though our opponents managed to turn the game around.
“Even in the decider, we were trailing very far. One thing that we did very well is that we never gave up. We still supported each other through it all,” added Shevon.
FINAL RESULTS
Men’s singles: Weng Hongyang (Chn) bt Kodai Naraoka (Jpn) 21-17, 21-12.
Men’s doubles: Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani (Mas) bt He Jiting-Ren Xiangyu (Chn) 13-21, 21-12, 21-17.
Women’s singles: Wang Zhiyi (Chn) bt Tomoka Miyazaki (Jpn) 21-17, 21-15.
Women’s doubles: Li Yijing-Luo Xumin (Chn) bt Li Wenmei-Zhang Shuxian (Chn) 11-21, 21-18, 21-8.
Mixed doubles: Feng Yanzhe-Huang Dongping (Chn) bt Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai Jemie (Mas) 16-21, 21-14, 21-17.
