KUCHING: Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani had to weather a late storm in Bangkok before sealing their place in the Thailand Open quarterfinals today.
For much of the opening game, the Malaysians looked comfortably in control against China’s Huang Di-Liu Yang.
Their movement was slick, the exchanges were fast, and their cross-court placements repeatedly caught the world No. 35 pair scrambling.
The points came quickly but so did the confidence.
But the second game told a different story altogether.
A handful of unforced errors opened the door for the Chinese pair, who began growing into the match point by point as the rhythm shifted away from the Malaysians.
What looked routine slowly turned tense.
The game eventually spilled into deuce, forcing Sze Fei-Izzuddin into a nervy closing stretch before the Malaysians finally regained their composure to close out the win and march into the last eight in Bangkok.
Elsewhere, Malaysia’s Bryan Jeremy Goonting-Muhammad Haikal conceded against India’s top duo Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty over a 21-12,21-19 straight set loss in 44 minutes
