KUALA LUMPUR: The national professional doubles players, Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani, refused to make any excuses for their early exit in the first round of the Denmark Open.
Instead, the pair, fresh from their victory at the Arctic Open in Finland last week, admitted that their defeat was due to their own 'weakness.'
In the match at the Jyske Bank Arena, Odense, Sze Fei-Izzuddin, who were seeded seventh, were stunned by Thai pair Kedren Kittinupong-Puavaranukroh Dechapol in straight sets 13-21, 13-21.
More disappointingly, the opponents faced by the world's eighth-ranked pair in the Super 750 BWF (Badminton World Federation) tournament were a newly formed duo and had qualified for the tournament via qualification tickets.
When asked whether the shocking defeat was due to fatigue, Izzuddin denied it, insisting that he and his partner did not perform as they should have.
"We don't want to make any excuses for this defeat," said Izzuddin.
"We've done our best, but they played better than us. Therefore, we need to improve ourselves, especially in terms of mental and physical aspects," he added.