Goh-Izzuddin's world No. 1 spot could soon be under threat if they don't lift their game
Malaysia's Goh Sze Fei - Nur Izzuddin in action for mens double match during the Malaysia Open 2025 at Axiata Arena, Bukit Jalil. — FAIHAN GHANI/The Star
PETALING JAYA: Reaching world No. 1 is hard but maintaining the top position seems even tougher.
Men's doubles shuttlers Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani, who surged to the coveted spot last month, are struggling for consistency and are in danger of relinquishing their position if they don't find a way to improve fast.
Sze Fei-Izzuddin's run in the Indonesian Open ended in the quarter-finals after they narrowly went down 19-21, 21-9, 19-21 to world No. 8 homesters Sabar Gutama-Moh Reza at a packed Istora Senayan in Jakarta on Friday.
The independent pair were looking good to make the semis when they led 17-14 and 19-17 in the deciding game but could not hold on and ended up losing in 57 minutes.
It was Sze Fei-Izzuddin's third quarter-final exit in a row after they also suffered the same fate in the Malaysian Masters and Singapore Open.
The duo have failed to progress to the last four in any of their competitions since capturing the Indian Open title in January.
Sze Fei-Izzuddin will remain as the world No. 1 for now after their closest challengers for the top spot, Denmark's world No. 2 Kim Astrup-Anders Skaarup Rassmussen and world No. 3 teammates Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik suffered early exits in the Indonesian tourney but could be overtaken next month if they don't rediscover their best form.
Sze Fei-Izzuddin have two important back-to-back tournaments coming up next month – the Japan Open from July 15-20 and China Open from July 22-27.
The pair won both the competitions last year and will be under pressure to reach the finals again in both to protect their ranking points and maintain their No. 1 position.
Sze Fei-Izzuddin admitted that after losing to Sabar-Moh they needed to get used to the pressure of being at the top.
"Our opponents controlled their emotions well during the last few points while we were quite nervous," said Izzuddin in a post-match interview with the Badminton World Federation (BWF).
Sze Fei said: "These are the things we need to improve on and we hope to do better next time.
"The pressure is always there. It depends on how we handle the expectations."
Going through ups and downs is normal and the onus is now on Sze Fei-Izzuddin to fight back and prove that they deserve to remain as the world's best pair.
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