PETALING JAYA: Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani played their underdogs role to perfection by stunning national top men’s doubles pair Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik to enter their first Malaysian Masters final since 2017 yesterday.
Third seeds Sze Fei-Izzuddin wrapped up the all-Malaysian semi-final clash 21-18, 21-12 in just 33 minutes.
It was only the third time that they managed to overpower their higher-ranked compatriots in nine meetings, but Sze Fei was quick to stress that the win does not indicate that they have overtaken Aaron-Wooi Yik.
“Just because we won against them (Aaron-Wooi Yik), it does not mean that we are better than them or anything like that,” said Sze Fei.
“I think they were under a lot of pressure, which resulted in them not being able to give their best performance on court.
“For us, we felt quite relaxed as the underdogs, and it helped.”
Sze Fei-Izzuddin also ended a nine-year wait to reach a Malaysian Masters final.
The duo finished as runners-up to Indonesia’s Berry Angriawan-Hardianto when the tournament was a Grand Prix Gold event in 2017.
“We hope to make amends for the loss in 2017,” Izzuddin added.
“We stayed calm and patient throughout the match, and that made a big difference for us.”
Sze Fei-Izzuddin will be looking to add to their title tally this year after having won the Super 500 Indonesian Masters in January.
A win today will give them their third Super 500 title after also having won the 2024 Arctic Open.
Meanwhile, Wooi Yik admitted that their compatriots were the stronger pair on court.
“Their gameplay was much more solid and consistent,” said Wooi Yik.
“We all know each other’s style of play, but we made many mistakes on court and that gave them (Sze Fei-Izzuddin) the confidence and made things easier for them.”
SEMI-FINAL RESULTS
Malaysians unless stated
Men’s singles: Li Shifeng (Chn) bt Hu Zhean (Chn) 21-17, 21-16; Panitchaphon Teeraratsakul (Tha) bt Christo Popov (Fra) 21-13, 21-13.
Men’s doubles: Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani bt Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik 21-18, 21-12; Daniel Lundgaard-Mads Vestergaard (Den) bt Wan Arif Wan Junaidi-Yap Roy King 21-19, 21-17.
Women’s singles: Chen Yufei (Chn) bt Hina Akechi (Jpn) 21-11, 21-14; Ratchanok Intanon (Tha) bt Line Kjaersfeldt (Den) 21-12, 21-12.
Women’s doubles: Chen Fanshutian-Luo Xumin (Chn) bt Bao Lijing-Cao Zihan (Chn) 18-21, 21-9, 21-19; Sayaka Hirota-Ayako Sakuramoto (Jpn) bt Lauren Lam-Allison Lee (US) 21-15, 17-21, 21-11.
Mixed doubles: Pakkapon Teeraratsakul-Sapsiree Taerattanachai (Tha) bt Guo Xinwa-Chen Fanghui (Chn) 15-21, 21-15, 21-17; Gao Jiaxuan-Wei Yaxin (Chn) bt Mathias Christiansen-Alexandra Boje (Den) 22-24, 21-16, 21-18.
