New status boon or bane?

The Star

2 days ago

PETALING JAYA: Professional men's doubles shuttlers Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani have a chance to live up to their new world No. 1 status at the Indonesian Open starting today in Jakarta.
The top seeds, however, knows that it will not be an easy job but it is not an impossible task to pull off either.
Sze Fei-Izzuddin are the first pros to rise to the summit of world ranking and the fifth Malaysian pair to stand tall at that position after Chan Chong Ming-Chew Choon Eng (2002), Choong Tan Fook-Lee Wan Wah (2004), Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong (2007) and Goh V Shem-Tan Wee Kiong (2016).
They moved up one rung to the historic top spot last week but days later, they were sent packing in the quarter-finals of the Singapore Open.
Chong Ming hailed their rise in the ranking as exceptional but acknowledged that the status comes with huge expectations and attention.
'All eyes will be on them now. They will be the target,' said Chong Ming during the ongoing Daikin International Championships that had attracted over 5,000 entries at Sunsuria Pioneer Badminton Centre in Kota Damansara yesterday. 'While it is a great accomplishment to reach to the top as not many get to do this, but it also comes with lots of pressure.
'We saw that when they played in the Singapore Open.
First hurdle: Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani will face the Lee twin brothers – Fang-chih-Fang-jen of Taiwan in the first round of the Indonesian Open today.
'Now, everyone will expect them to live up to that favourite tag as the top seeds but that can adversely affect their match temperament if they don't know how to deal with it.
Being in the same precarious position before, Chong Ming said the trick was to stay composed but admitted that it would take time to master it.
'Most of the times, those who ascend to the summit will find it hard to remain there. It's a challenge to maintain it as we tend to put a lot of pressure on ourselves but if we don't over think it, it is possible to reign for long.
'Sze Fei-Izzuddin have to work doubly hard to maintain it too. It's not impossible to be consistent at that level as some of the players have done it before,' he said.
Chong Ming hoped to see a better performance from Sze Fei-Izzuddin in Jakarta, as the pair had slowed down for almost three months since enjoying a stretch of back-to-back victories.
'You can see a drop in their game but hopefully, they will pick up from where they left last year when they were on fiery form,' said Chong Ming.
Sze Fei-Izzuddin started brilliantly this year when they emerged as the Indian Open winners in January, following up on the back of a sensational second half in 2024.
Then, they had won the Japan Open (Aug), China Open (Oct), Arctic Open (Oct) and finished as the runners-up at the World Tour Finals (Dec).
In the Indonesian Open, Sze Fei-Izzuddin will face the Lee twin brothers – Fang-chih-Fang-jen of Taiwan in the first round and should they win, they will face the winners of the match between Wee Kiong-Nur Azriyn Ayob and China's Xie Haonan-Zeng Weihan.
Also in their half are also three other Malaysian pairs – reigning Singapore Open winners Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik, Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun and Wan Junaidi Wan Arif-Yap Roy King.
Malaysia have not won the men's doubles title in the Super 1000 since Mohd Fairuzizuan Mohd Tazari-Mohd Zakry Abdul Latif won in 2008. Wei Chong-Kai Wun, however, pulled off a surprise by winning the lower-tier Indonesian Masters in January.