PETALING JAYA: Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani’s opening round clash against Denmark’s Kim Astrup-Anders Skaarup Rasmussen at the Singapore Open promises to be an intriguing one as it features two former world No. 1 pairs.
Astrup-Rasmussen held the world No. 1 spot for 24 weeks from December 2024, while Sze Fei-Izzuddin took over the top ranking on May 27 but stayed there for only eight weeks.
Based on their head-to-head record, the Danish pair hold the advantage, having won nine of their previous 11 meetings.
Their most recent encounter at the French Open in October last year also went Astrup-Rasmussen’s way.
Astrup-Rasmussen also head into the match in fresher condition, having not competed since the end of the Thomas Cup Finals in Horsens.
For Sze Fei-Izzuddin, this will be their third consecutive tournament since returning from Horsens.
They also had to battle through to the Malaysian Masters final last week, where they fell to another Danish pair, Daniel Lundgaard-Mads Vestergaard.
Coach Teo Kok Siang said he would help them to make quick recovery before the opener at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang.
“I think they need to rest first, and after that we can make the necessary adjustments.
“They played in back-to-back tournaments, reaching one semi-final and one final.
“There may be some mental fatigue, but I will make sure they bounce back. I hope they can maintain their consistency,” said Kok Siang.
Kok Siang also admitted that since returning from Horsens, he and his assistant coach Ameer Amri Zainuddin have made some adjustments to Sze Fei-Izzuddin’s game, with the changes slowly beginning to show positive results.
“We had some discussions with the players and made a few changes to their game plan because in this sport, everyone studies your game, and you also study your opponents.
“So we have made some adjustments to certain aspects of their play,” added Kok Siang.
