PETALING JAYA: Costly mistakes ended men doubles shuttlers Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani’s hopes of winning a medal at the World Championships in New Delhi.
The Malaysian pair knew they were capable of troubling defending champions and world No. 1 Kim Won-ho-Seo Seung-jae, having beaten the Koreans at the Indonesian Open in June.
But there was no repeat of that victory at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium as Sze Fei-Izzuddin went down 16-21, 16-21 in 41 minutes on Friday (Aug 21).
Sze Fei admitted their own errors proved costly, particularly in the latter stages of the match, while Won-ho-Seung-jae were able to keep their game steady throughout.
"I think overall we did not do that badly, but in the second game, we made too many unforced errors. I think that was the key," said Sze Fei in a post-match interview with Badminton World Federation (BWF).
Izzuddin shared Sze Fei’s view on their performance against Won-ho-Seung-jae.
"I think they were quite consistent in every shot and every point. I think that’s what made them better today," added Izzuddin.
Despite missing out on a medal, Sze Fei-Izzuddin can still take some positives from reaching their first World Championships quarter-finals after losing in the third round in their previous three appearances.
Their debut in Huelva in 2021 ended with a defeat to Taiwan’s Lee Yang-Wang Chi-lin.
A year later in Tokyo, they lost to compatriots Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik, who went on to become Malaysia’s first world champions.
Sze Fei-Izzuddin did not compete at the 2023 edition in Copenhagen before returning in Paris last year as the third seeds, where they were beaten by Taiwan’s Lee Jhe-huei-Yang Po-hsuan in the third round.
