Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin Rumsani have become Malaysia’s remaining men’s-doubles gold contenders at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games after reaching the quarter-finals, according to The Star.
The Malaysians moved through the second round with a 21-19, 21-16 victory over Japan’s Takuro Hoki and Yugo Kobayashi, who were described by The Star as former world champions. Their win left them one victory from a medal and kept Malaysia represented in the men’s-doubles title race after Aaron Chia and Tee Kai Wun were eliminated.
Goh and Nur’s progress has set up a quarter-final against China’s Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang. The Chinese pair are the reigning world champions and, The Star reported, have won three of their four previous meetings with the Malaysians.
Japanese win leaves Goh and Nur one match from a medal
Goh and Nur beat Hoki and Kobayashi in straight games at the Ichinomiya City Municipal Gymnasium. The opening game was settled 21-19 before the Malaysian pair completed the second-round win 21-16.
The Star reported that the result indicated Goh and Nur were in good shape after overcoming a Japanese partnership with former world-title status. It also kept their Asian Games campaign alive after the pair missed the previous edition of the event, according to the report.
The immediate significance of the result is the route it creates. A victory over Liang and Wang would place Goh and Nur in the semi-finals and secure the medal position identified by The Star. A defeat would end Malaysia’s remaining chance of men’s-doubles gold.
That next assignment carries a clear challenge on the available head-to-head evidence. The Star reported that Goh and Nur have lost three of their four previous matches against Liang and Wang, who arrive as reigning world champions. The second-round result does not alter that record, but it gives the Malaysians a straight-games win to take into the quarter-final.
Malaysia’s men’s-doubles representation has therefore narrowed to one pair at the stage where a single win would guarantee a medal. The Star described Goh and Nur as the country’s last hope for gold in the discipline following Aaron and Tee’s exit.
Aaron and Tee exit as Justin Hoh also departs
Aaron and Tee’s campaign ended with a 21-19, 21-16 defeat by South Korea’s Kim Won-ho and Seo Seung-jae. The Korean pair entered the match as defending champions, according to The Star.
The Star reported that Aaron and Tee gave the South Koreans a competitive contest but could not break through after the closely decided first game. Their elimination removed Malaysia’s other pairing from the men’s-doubles gold race, leaving Goh and Nur to carry the country’s hopes in the event.
For Aaron, the defeat also ended his opportunity to add another Asian Games medal to the bronze he won alongside Soh Wooi Yik at Hangzhou 2022. The Star reported that the bronze was Aaron’s previous Asian Games medal.
Malaysia also lost Justin Hoh from the men’s singles. The Star reported that Hoh lost 21-14, 21-14 to Loh Kean Yew, described in the report as a former world champion, in the third round. Earlier on the same day, Hoh had beaten Bangladesh’s Gourab Singha 21-8, 21-7 in the morning.
National singles coaching director Kenneth Jonassen said, as reported by The Star, that the two-match schedule was not an issue because Malaysia’s players had known about the arrangement and prepared before arriving in Japan. Jonassen said multi-sport events required players to adapt and that the conditions applied equally across the field.
Those singles and doubles exits sharpen the focus on Goh and Nur’s quarter-final. Their result against Liang and Wang will determine whether Malaysia retains a competitor in the men’s-doubles title race and whether the pair move into the medal positions at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.