PETALING JAYA: Former world No. 1 men’s doubles pair Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani will have their work cut out for them when they face rising stars Aaron Tai-Yap Roy King in an all-Malaysian clash for a place in the Japan Masters quarter-finals today.
Plenty is at stake for both combinations, especially Sze Fei-Izzuddin, who will be eager to assert their superiority over their younger compatriots.
Their coach Mohd Fairuzizuan Mohd Tazari acknowledged that Aaron-Roy King have been making waves with their recent performances and warned that they could pose a serious threat if his charges lose focus or make too many mistakes.
However, Fairuzizuan remains confident that Sze Fei-Izzuddin have the experience and quality to overcome their in-form opponents.
“For me, I consider every opponent difficult, even in the first round. When we approach every match with that mindset, we prepare ourselves better.
“Aaron-Roy King are certainly improving, but I don’t think they are so good that we cannot beat them. They are in good form and have that fire in them at the moment, but we also have our own strengths and we certainly don’t want to lose.
“We will work out a strategy to face them,” said Fairuzizuan.
Sze Fei-Izzuddin booked their place in the second round after beating Denmark’s Christian Kjaer-Rasmus Kjaer 21-15, 21-16 on Tuesday, while Aaron-Roy King brushed aside Japan’s Kakeru Kumagai-Hiroki Nishi 21-8, 21-14.
Sze Fei-Izzuddin also have history on their side, having won all four previous meetings against Roy King when he was partnered with Wan Arif Wan Junaidi, with their last encounter coming at the Singapore Open in May.
However, Roy King has made significant strides since teaming up with Aaron, with the pair announcing their arrival by capturing the Arctic Open title in Finland last month.
They have also proven capable of beating established opponents, including Indonesia’s world No. 7 Sabar Karyaman-Reza Pahlevi and Taiwan’s two-time Olympic gold medallist Wang Chi-lin, who partners Chiu Hsiang-chieh, at the French Open three weeks ago.
Meanwhile, another Malaysian pair, Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun, will face Denmark’s Daniel Lundgaard-Mads Vestergaard in the second round today.
Wei Chong-Kai Wun advanced after battling past Thailand’s Peeratchai Sukphun-Pakkapon Teeraratsakul 21-18, 21-23, 21-13 yesterday.
The match will also offer Wei Chong-Kai Wun a chance to avenge their defeat to the world No. 14 Danish pair in the first round of the 2024 China Masters.
