Malaysia’s top independent men’s doubles pair, Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzudin, collectively known as “Fei-Ting,” suffered an unexpected early exit at the China Open — a Super 1000 tournament — today. Despite entering as the top seeds and defending champions, the duo was defeated by South Korea’s world No. 40 pair, Kang Min Hyuk and Kim Dong Joo, in a gripping three-set showdown.
Goh and Izzudin opened strong, claiming the first game 21‑15. However, Kang and Kim fought back to level the match with a 21‑15 win in the second game. The deciding set was a rollercoaster: after trailing 4‑7, “Fei-Ting” stormed ahead with an 8‑point burst to lead 12‑7. The Koreans responded fiercely with a 7‑point run, pulling ahead 15‑13 and maintaining the edge to clinch the decider 21‑17. The intense match lasted 56 minutes.
This latest defeat follows their recent title defense loss at last week’s Japan Open. Despite high expectations and their elite ranking, Goh and Izzudin were unable to hold off the determined underdogs in their first-ever meeting.
