Ambitious men’s doubles players Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin credit their strong performance this year to their growing trust in each other.
Sze Fei-Izzuddin have been in excellent form recently, clinching their third title in two months at the Arctic Open on Sunday.
The world No. 8 independent pair fought hard to defeat Indonesia’s world No. 6 pair, Fajar Alfian / Rian Ardianto, China’s world No. 1 duo, Liang Weikeng / Wang Chang, and Denmark’s defending champions, Kim Astrup / Anders Skaarup Rasmussen (world No. 2), to claim the title.
Sze Fei-Izzuddin also won the Japan and China Open titles last month, and if they can maintain their hot streak, they will soon surpass the country’s No. 1 and world No. 4 pair, Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik, in the rankings.
Sze Fei stated that mutual trust is the key to their success so far, and they are eager to continue their winning ways.
“The key is to trust each other and keep moving forward, keep working hard,” Sze Fei told SPOTV after the match.
“We’ll keep doing what we’ve done over the past few weeks, which is giving our best in every match. There were many tense moments during the games, and it’s crucial that we never lose faith in each other.”
Sze Fei-Izzuddin have no time to celebrate yet, as they are set to compete in the Denmark Open, which begins today in Odense.
Izzuddin knows that maintaining their form in Denmark after a grueling week will be a tough task.
“From the quarterfinals (Arctic Open) onwards, our matches have been difficult. We need to be mentally and physically prepared,” Izzuddin said.
“It’s been a tiring week for us, and we need to get ready for Denmark once again.”
In their first-round match in Odense, Sze Fei-Izzuddin will face Taiwan’s world No. 10 pair, Lee Jhe-Huei / Yang Po-Hsuan, in what will be a challenging test.
If they win, they will likely face Denmark’s world No. 14 pair, Rasmus Kjær / Frederik Søgaard, for a spot in the quarterfinals.
