Sze Fei-Izzuddin face tough reality check ahead of French Open


PETALING JAYA: The shock first-round exit at the Denmark Open on Tuesday may serve as a wake-up call for Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani to rethink their approach if they are to end their struggle with inconsistency.

Sze Fei-Izzuddin arrived in Odense looking physically fresher than several of their compatriots, but their performance on court told a different story as they laboured against England’s Ben Lane-Sean Vendy.

Ironically, their English opponents had just come off a gruelling week in Vantaa, Finland, where they lifted the Arctic Open title, yet still managed to outplay Sze Fei-Izzuddin 21-13, 13-21, 21-14.

The defeat left the Malaysian duo lost for words in their post-match interview.

“I think they were more focused in the last set,” said Izzuddin.

“I think they’re low-profile players but they played better than us today,” added Sze Fei in an interview with the Badminton World Federation (BWF).

Their performances this year have been a roller coaster – strong one week and struggling the next.

They have only one title to their name this season, the Indian Open in January, and were runners-up at the Japan Open, but have since found it difficult to regain the form that saw them capture several major titles last year.

Earlier, their coach Teo Kok Siang had hinted that the pair were still adapting to a new playing style, but they have yet to produce a convincing performance.

After this, they will head to Cesson-Sevigne for the French Open, which begins next Tuesday.

It will be a tougher challenge as they are set to face former world champions Takuro Hoki-Yugo Kobayashi of Japan in the opening round.

“We will review and see what went wrong with our performance today,” said Izzuddin

“It depends on our condition and gameplay, but we need to focus more on our first three shots,” added Sze Fei.

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