KUALA LUMPUR: ALL eyes will be on world No. 13 Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani when the Japan Open begins in Kanagawa next Tuesday, potentially marking their final two appearances as national team players.
Sze Fei-Izzuddin, who have reportedly quit the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM), are awaiting approval from the BAM Council, which will decide on the matter later this month.
BAM coaching director Rexy Mainaky stated earlier this week that it was still "business as usual" for Sze Fei-Izzuddin, who will compete in the Japan Open and Korea Open (Aug 27-Sept 1) as part of the national team.
For Sze Fei-Izzuddin, these two World Tour legs offer an excellent opportunity to demonstrate their readiness to advance their careers as professionals.
In their eighth year together, Sze Fei-Izzuddin have formed one of the longest partnerships among current men's doubles pairs, but have achieved limited success.
They have won four World Tour titles, with the German Open Super 300 being their most notable victory to date.
In 2022, they temporarily split for six months, with Izzuddin citing "a loss of trust" in his partner, before reuniting for the second half of the year.
Although they failed to qualify for the Paris Olympics, the pair has performed strongly, breaking into the world top-15 and currently sitting at No. 13, just four spots shy of their career-best No. 9.
Known as 'DinFei' to badminton fans, the 27-year-old duo can leverage their popularity to attract corporate sponsors and major badminton brands to support their bid to qualify for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.
Sze Fei-Izzuddin enter the Japan Open following a series of impressive performances, including a runner-up finish at the Asian Championships against world No. 1 Liang Wei Keng-Wang Chang of China in April. They also helped Malaysia reach the semi-finals of the Thomas Cup and made quarter-final appearances at the Malaysia Masters, Singapore Open, and Indonesia Open between May and June.
At the Japan Open, the eighth-seeded Sze Fei-Izzuddin face a challenging opener against teammates Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun. A win would likely set up a last-16 clash with Indonesian veterans Mohammad Ahsan-Hendra Setiawan, who are expected to defeat Malaysia's Low Hang Yee-Ng Eng Cheong.
If they advance further, Sze Fei-Izzuddin could potentially meet Wei Keng-Wang Chang in the quarter-finals, offering a chance to avenge their two recent defeats, including one in Indonesia.
Two other Malaysian men's pairs in the tournament are Choong Hon Jian-Haikal Nazri, who will face Germany's Bjarne Geiss-Jan Colin Voelker, and professionals Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi, who are drawn against Denmark's Daniel Lundgaard-Mads Vestergaard.