Country's Top Men's Doubles Pair Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Cruise Into Second Round

KUALA LUMPUR, March 12 (Bernama) -- The country's top men's doubles pair Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Mohd Rumsani started the All England 2025 campaign on the right footing when they brushed aside the challenge of South Korea's Kim Gi Jung-Kim Sa Rang in their opening match in Birmingham today.

The second seeds in the tournament only took 37 minutes to defeat Gi Jung-Sa Rang 21-17, 21-14 in a match that took place at the Utilita Arena Birmingham.

The win will see Sze Fei-Nur Izzudin meet the winner of another first-round match between South Korea's Kim Won Ho-Seo Seung Jae or Thailand's Kittinupong Kedren-Dechapol Puavaranukroh.

"The game was intense and I think there were a few lucky shots that have been made. Just enjoyed the game to bring out our best," Sze Fei said in an audio shared by the Badminton World Federation (BWF).

Earlier, the country's top women's doubles pair, Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah also advanced to the second round after winning over Taiwan's Teng Chun Hsun-Yang Chu Yun in a 19-21, 21-15, 21-13 rubber set battle that lasted 65 minutes.

Waiting for Pearly-Thinaah in the round of 16 will be another Taiwanese pair in Hsu Yin-Hui-Lin Jhih Yun.

Meanwhile, the hopes of the country's two mixed doubles pairs, Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei and Wong Tien Ci-Lim Chiew Sien, to go far in the tournament were dashed after losing to their respective opponents.

Tang Jie-Ee Wei lost to Indonesia's Rehan Naufal Kusharjanto-Gloria Emanuelle Widjaja 21-18, 20-22,11-21, while Wong Tien Ci-Lim Chiew Sien succumbed to Denmark's Jesper Toft-Amalie Magelund 16-21, 19-21 in straight sets.

Meanwhile, another national professional men's doubles pair, Nur Azriyn Ayub-Tan Wee Kiong, was shown the way out of the competition by South Korean pair, Kang Minhyuk-Ki Dong Ju who won 21-14, 21-12.

--BERNAMA