KUALA LUMPUR – National men’s doubles pair Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin Rumsani’s match against South Korea’s Seo Seung-jae and Kang Min-hyuk will be a tough challenge in their plan to make a comeback for the Badminton Asia Championships (BAC) in Ningbo, China, next month after missing out on last year’s edition.
Speaking to the press after today’s training session, Sze Fei admits that the Korean juggernauts will be a formidable obstacle; however, he wants to give his all at the championships.
“I feel that all opponents are tough. None of them are easy, especially in the Super 1000 (tournaments). We, of course, need a target, but we want to consider this as motivation.
“We hope to not take this as pressure. Of course, there will be pressure, but we need to handle it in a positive manner,” he said.
For the record, the last time the world-number-19 Malaysians went head-to-head with the second-ranked pair was in the 2023 Korea Masters, where Sze Fei and Izzuddin lost.
However, the Malaysians defeated the Koreans at the 2021 Indonesia Masters.
If the Malaysian pair manage to get past the first-round, they will have another uphill task, as they will be poised to face the Chinese duo of He Jiting and Ren Xiangyu.
“We don’t think about it too much, but we will try our best and discuss with the coach on what strategy to use.”
This tournament presents a chance of redemption for Sze Fei and Izzuddin, as they fell short of securing a top-16 spot, which would have allowed them to participate in the coming Paris Olympic Games.
Other Malaysian pairs sent to the BAC have also had their work cut out for them, with Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun facing China’s Chen Boyang and Liu Yi, Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi up against Japan’s Ayato Endo-Yuta Takei, and Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik to play Chinese Taipei’s Lee Yang and Wang Chi-lin. – March 29, 2024