Yokohama: Malaysia’s World No. 12 men’s doubles pair, Goh Sze Fei/Nur Izzuddin Mohd, who will be leaving the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) and becoming an independent pair starting September 1st, showed promising progress by advancing to the final of the 2024 Japan Open.
Highlights of Goh Sze Fei/Nur Izzuddin Mohd vs. Leo Rolly Carnando/Daniel Maulana in the 2024 Japan Open semifinals:
The Goh/Izzuddin defeated Indonesia’s Leo Rolly Carnando/Daniel Maulana 21-19, 21-17 in the semifinals, setting up a clash with the world champions from South Korea, Kang Min Hyuk/Seo Seung Jae, in the final.
Kang/Seo, who won the world title in Copenhagen last year, reached the final after overcoming another Indonesian pair, Muhammad Shohibul Fikri/Daniel Marthin, 12-21, 21-15, 21-19 in the semifinals.
Sunday’s final will be the fifth encounter between Goh/Nur and Kang/Seo, with both pairs tied at 2-2 in their head-to-head record.
The last meeting between the two pairs was in the first round of the Badminton Asia Championships (BAC) in April, where Goh/Izzuddin secured a 21-13, 21-18 victory.
On Saturday, BAM also confirmed that they received the application from Goh Sze Fei/Nur Izzuddin to transition to be an independent men’s pair on September 1st.
France’s 19-year-old Alex Lanier became the youngest player ever to reach the final of a Badminton World Federation (BWF) Super 750 tournament, when he defeated world No. 1 Shi Yuqi in the semifinals, marking a historic performance.
Highlights of Alex Lanier vs. Shi Yuqi in the 2024 Japan Open semifinals:
Lanier, currently ranked 29th in the world, had a remarkable run throughout the tournament:
1st Round: Defeated Lee Zii Jia (world No. 6) 21-18, 21-13
2nd Round: Defeated Chico Aura Dwi Wardoyo (world No. 34) 21-14, 21-13
Quarterfinals: Defeated Kenta Nishimoto (world No. 11) 21-14, 21-14
Semifinals: Defeated Shi Yuqi (world No. 1) 17-21, 21-16, 21-18
Lanier’s opponent in the final is world No. 10 Chou Tien Chen, who outlasted home favorite Kodai Naraoka 21-14, 21-16.
In the women’s singles competition, Japan’s No. 2 seed Akane Yamaguchi advanced to the women’s singles final after seeing off Thailand’s Supanida Katethong 21-14, 22-20 in the semifinals. Yamaguchi will face another Thai player – World No. 14 Busanan Ongbamrungphan in the final.
