KUALA LUMPUR: Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani will be smiling all the way to the bank after securing the biggest pay cheque of their careers following their China Open Super 1000 victory in Changzhou today.
World No. 12 Sze Fei-Izzuddin capitalised on an injury to Ren Xiang Yu in the final to pocket a cool US$148,000 (RM622,000), ending Malaysia's 35-year wait for a men's doubles title at the China Open.
The Malaysian pair defeated world No. 7 He Ji Ting-Xiang Yu 13-21, 21-12, 21-17 in 57 minutes.
Xiang Yu continued after calling for medical attention during the first game and requested another time-out during the interval.
Despite the presence of the tournament doctor, China bent the rules by bringing in their own medical team and physiotherapist to provide further treatment to Xiang Yu.
Sze Fei-Izzuddin were not in the mood to celebrate their victory due to Xiang Yu's injury.
"This is not the way we wanted to win, and we wish Xiang Yu a fast recovery," said 27-year-old Sze Fei.
"During the match, we just focused on our own performance, especially on staying mentally strong."
Izzuddin, 26, added that they were simply aiming to give their best as Xiang Yu's back injury changed the direction of the match.
"We just wanted to do our best," said Izzuddin when asked if they had to alter their game plan following Xiang Yu's injury.
Xiang Yu's anguish clearly weighed on Sze Fei-Izzuddin's minds, as the pair showed sportsmanship by opting not to celebrate after winning the title.
Results
Men's singles: Weng Hong Yang (Chn) bt Kodai Naraoka (Jpn) 21-17, 21-12.
Doubles: Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani (Mas) bt He Ji Ting-Ren Xiang Yu (Chn) 13-21, 21-12, 21-17.
Women's singles: Wang Zhi Yi (Chn) bt Tomoka Miyazaki (Jpn) 21-17, 21-15.
Doubles: Li Yi Jing-Luo Xu Min (Chn) bt Li Wen Mei-Zhang Shu Xian (Chn) 11-21, 21-18, 21-8.
Mixed doubles: Feng Yan Zhe-Huang Dong Ping (Chn) bt Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai (Mas) 16-21, 21-14, 21-17.