Malaysian men’s doubles shuttlers made a strong showing at the Kumamoto Masters in Japan, with three pairs advancing to the quarter-finals.
World no 4 pair Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani were pushed to the limit by 143rd-ranked Japanese pair Keiichiro Matsui-Katsuki Tamate, winning 21-23, 21-13, 26-24 in a 64-minute thriller.
Their victory keeps alive hopes of them qualifying for the lucrative World Tour Finals in China next month, though they must win the title and the Australian Open next week to secure a spot.
They will face Taiwan’s Lee Jhe Huei-Yang Po Hsuan in the quarter-finals tomorrow.
Meanwhile, Wan Arif Wan Junaidi-Yap Roy King beat Japan’s Takumi Nomura-Yuichi Shimogami in straight games with a score of 21-11, 21-19 in 32 minutes.
The Macau Open champions will meet Japan’s Hiroki Midorikawa-Kyohei Yamashita in the quarter-finals.
In another men’s doubles match, Choong Hon Jian-Haikal Nazri caused an upset by defeating the higher-ranked Taiwanese pair Liu Kuang Heng-Yang Po Han 14-21, 21-17, 21-19.
Hon Jian-Haikal will now face Taiwan’s Chieu Hsiang Chieh-Wang Chi Iin in the quarter-finals.
However, not all Malaysian pairs advanced. Japan’s Kakeru Kumagai-Hiroki Nishi eliminated Nur Azriyn Ayub-Tan Wee Kiong in straight games with a score of 21-13, 21-11.
In the women’s doubles, Ong Xin Yee-Carmen Ting were beaten 21-12, 21-9 by Japanese duo Rui Hirokami-Sayaka Hobara.
