PETALING JAYA: The dismal form of independent men’s doubles pair Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani (pic) has not only raised concern but also left many wondering what has happened to the former world No. 1 duo.
They were once again shown the exit in the early rounds after falling to Taiwan’s Lee Jhe-huei-Yang Po-hsuan 14-21, 21-17, 14-21 in 46 minutes in the second round of the Indian Open yesterday.
On paper, sixth seeds Sze Fei-Izzuddin should not have faced much trouble against the Taiwanese pair, having won six of their seven previous encounters.
Hence, the defeat is seen as a major upset, especially since they were the defending champions.
The biggest issue they admit to facing is slow starts, which often leave them in difficult positions early in matches.
“I think they played better than us today. They executed the first three shots very well, and we couldn’t overcome that,” Izzuddin said in a post-match interview with BWF.
“There is one part of our game that we need to improve, and hopefully we can do better next time,” added Sze Fei.
Last week, a similar scenario unfolded when they were ousted in the second round of the Malaysian Open by England’s Ben Lane-Sean Vendy.
Ironically, they lost to a pair that had previously been coached by former national player Koo Kien Keat, who was helping them prepare for the Malaysian Open at the time.
Sze Fei-Izzuddin still have a chance to bounce back from this disappointment when they head to Jakarta next week for the Indonesian Masters, which gets underway on Tuesday.
They are scheduled to face the United States pair Chen Zhi Yi-Presley Smith in the first round.
