PETALING JAYA: Costly mistakes ended men’s 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.
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.
