PETALING JAYA: The heartbreak of missing out on the title nine years ago came back to haunt men’s doubles pair Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani at the Malaysian Masters yesterday.
This time, the world No. 9 were forced to settle for second place on home ground after they were defeated by world No. 18 Danish duo Daniel Lundgaard-Mads Vestergaard 21-16, 21-17 at the Unifi Arena in Bukit Jalil.
Sze Fei-Izzuddin had ended their nine-year wait to be back in a Malaysian Masters final on Saturday after upsetting top national pair Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik in the semi-finals.
Hopes were high that they would go on to make up for their final defeat in 2017 when the tournament was a Grand Prix Gold event in 2017.
But that dream was shattered by a Scandinavian combo who knew Sze Fei-Izzuddin’s game only too well to spoil their home party.
Sze Fei admitted that Lundgaard-Vestergaard were familiar with their game, which made it difficult to mount a comeback after they were trailing throughout the match.
“I think our opponents played really well and that gave us pressure right from the start until the end,” said Sze Fei.
“They read our game well and we were slow to respond to it. We were slow to change.”
It was the sixth meeting between the pairs, with the clash in Bukit Jalil being the third of the year.
Understanding the Malaysians’ game style gave the Danish pair the edge to win after they lost both meetings earlier this year at the Malaysian Open and Indonesian Masters in January.
The win yesterday also equalled the head-to-head score between the pairs, with each now having won three matches.
Izzuddin said they have to focus on recovering quickly before their next outing begins at the Singapore Open tomorrow.
“The most important thing for us now is recovering because there’s not much time.
“So we have to focus on mental and physical recovery,” said Izzuddin.
The loss also denied Sze Fei-Izzuddin a chance to add to their win tally this year following their Indonesian Masters victory in January.
Meanwhile, the win in Malaysia was Lundgaard and Vestergaard’s first BWF World Tour title.
FINAL RESULTS
Men’s singles: Li Shifeng (Chn) bt Panitchaphon Teeraratsakul (Tha) 21-16, 21-17.
Men’s doubles: Daniel Lundgaard-Mads Vestergaard (Den) bt Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani (Mas) 21-16, 21-17.
Women’s singles: Ratchanok Intanon (Tha) bt Chen Yufei (Chn) 21-17, 21-15.
Women’s doubles: Chen Fanshutian-Luo Xumin (Chn) bt Sayaka Hirota-Ayako Sakuramoto (Jpn) 21-16, 25-23.
Mixed doubles: Gao Jiaxian-Wei Yaxin (Chn) bt Pakkapon Teeraratsakul-Sapsiree Taerattanachai (Tha) 21-13, 15-21, 21-11.
