PETALING JAYA: Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani may have fallen short in their bid for a second title this year, but their recent run of strong performances suggests the former world No. 1 men's doubles pair are heading in the right direction.
Independent doubles coach Teo Kok Siang admitted that training alongside the national squad has benefited Sze Fei-Izzuddin.
Sze Fei-Izzuddin were among the independent players invited to train with the national squad at the Academy Badminton Malaysia (ABM) in Bukit Kiara ahead of the Thomas Cup Finals in Horsens last month.
The extra training appeared to pay off as Sze Fei-Izzuddin went on to reach the semi-finals of the Thailand Open before coming close to winning a second title this year at the Malaysian Masters last week, only to finish runners-up after losing to Denmark’s Daniel Lundgaard-Mads Vestergaard in the final.
Kok Siang believes the pair have benefited from training in the national camp, where they were exposed to stronger sparring partners than they usually had in Sri Petaling.
As such, Kok Siang plans to continue bringing the pair to train at ABM from time to time, especially with Sze Fei-Izzuddin set to represent Malaysia at the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya in September.
"I think it has helped us because we get to train with high-quality players. I especially want to thank BAM (Badminton Association of Malaysia) for allowing us to come in for sparring sessions.
"My plan is to continue with that arrangement," said Kok Siang.
At the same time, Kok Siang said the defeat in the Malaysian Masters final had not affected Sze Fei-Izzuddin, with the pair now shifting their focus to the Singapore Open this week and the Indonesian Open from June 2-7.
"I do not think so. I believe the players will fight in every match. We just need to keep trying and help them achieve more consistent results," added Kok Siang.
