Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin came up short in their attempt to ensure a Malaysian pair won the Malaysia Masters title for the third year running after they lost 16-21, 17-21 in the men’s doubles final.
Goh-Izzuddin lost 16-21, 17-21 to Danish pair Daniel Lundgaard-Mads Vestergaard at the Unifi Arena, a defeat which effectively ended Malaysia’s chances of securing another silverware in this Super 500 event.
In the previous two years, Malaysian pairs were successful on home soil.
Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai won the mixed doubles title in 2024, while Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun won an all-Malaysian final last year.
Expectations was in the air among the 8,000 strong supporters at the Unifi Arena that Goh-Izzuddin could keep that run going and ensure Malaysia retains its men’s doubles title on home soil.
But a slow start which saw the Malaysians trail 0-7, and a lost of focus in the second game which saw them concede soft points towards the end dashed those hopes.
“Our opponents played really well. They read our game early on, and we changed (strategy) too late. From this loss, we also need to improve on our service,” they said.
Lundgaard-Vestergaard, meanwhile, were in disbelief after clinching their first World Tour crown in Kuala Lumpur.
“We did not play too well, but found the chemistry to win. We still cannot believe we have won our first World Tour title,” they said.
In the men’s singles, Li Shi Feng emulated Lee Chong Wei after defending his title with a 21-16, 21-17 victory over Thailand’s Panitchapon Teeraratsakul, while Ratchanok Intanon became the most successful female shuttler in this event.
The Thailand ace turned in a dominant display to beat top seed Chen Yu Fei 21-17, 21-15 in the women's singles final.
Despite Chen’s defeat, China were the biggest winners in the final after bagging the mixed doubles title through Gao Jia Xuan-Wei Ya Xin and the women’s doubles title through Chen Fan Shu Tian-Luo Xu Min.
