KUALA LUMPUR: Men's pair Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani not only won the China Open in Changzhou on Sunday, but won hearts with their remarkable sportsmanship.
The Malaysian duo could have ruthlessly focused their attack on China's injured shuttler Ren Xiang Yu, but they did not exploit the situation.
World No. 7 Ji Ting-Xiang Yu had started explosively and led 18-8, but Xiang Yu suffered a back strain and needed a medical time-out twice.
Though the stricken Xiang Yu was an easy target, Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin did not pounce on him as much of their play was directed at Ji Ting.
There was only one instance which saw Izzuddin smashing and forcing Xiang Yu to go sprawling to retrieve a shot in the third game, but the latter was unaffected by the incident.
The Malaysian duo's "consideration" for Xiang Yu did put them in a spot of bother as the China pair stayed in the match right till the end.
However, Sze Fei-Izzuddin prevailed 13-21, 21-12, 21-17, and even won praises from every quarter for their chivalrous approach.
Sze Fei-Izzuddin also refrained from overly celebrating though they had just won a Super 1000 title, which was really a big thing for them.
Izzuddin posted an endearing message on the importance of humanity in his Instagram account yesterday.
"Manners and humanity are what make us truly Malaysians," he said.
Sze Fei-Izzuddin have also shown the world that it is possible to win with grace in a highly intense and competitive tournament.