Tokyo, Japan – Defending champions Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin Rumsani opened their 2025 Japan Open campaign in dominant fashion, dispatching Canada’s Kevin Lee and Ty Alexander Lindeman in straight sets, 21-13, 21-15, in just 23 minutes.
Ranked World No. 1 in men’s doubles, the Malaysian duo made a strong statement in their first-ever meeting with the Canadian pair. They now advance to face either Japan’s Hiroki Midorikawa-Kyohei Yamashita or Taiwan’s Chiu Hsiang Chieh-Wang Chi Lin in the second round this Thursday.
Having already won the India Open Super 750 earlier this season, Goh and Nur are eager to claim a second Super 750 title at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium, a venue that has been favorable to their style of play.
🇲🇾 Upset Victory by Malaysia’s Arif-Azriyn
In another highlight for Malaysia, the unseeded pair Mohamad Arif Abdul Latif and Azriyn Ayub stunned France’s highly rated Popov brothers – Christo and Toma Junior – in a gripping first-round match. After losing the first game 13-21, the Malaysians bounced back to win 21-17, 21-19 in a match that lasted 58 minutes.
🏸 Women’s Doubles Exit for Ong Xin Yee-Carmen Ting
Malaysia’s young women’s doubles team Ong Xin Yee and Carmen Ting were eliminated in the first round by Japan’s No. 6 seeds Rin Iwanaga and Kei Nakanishi. Despite a strong opening game, the Malaysians fell 21-17, 8-21, 8-21 in 56 minutes, unable to maintain their momentum against the home favorites.
🇲🇾 Leong Jun Hao Falls to Reigning Champion Alex Lanier
Leong Jun Hao, Malaysia’s sole representative in men’s singles, suffered an early exit at the hands of defending champion Alex Lanier of France. The World No. 24 was outplayed by the composed and aggressive Lanier, who secured a straight-sets win, 21-12, 21-14, in 40 minutes.
According to Malaysia’s singles coaching director Kenneth Jonassen, the match highlighted a clear performance gap between Jun Hao and top-tier players like Lanier.
“We lacked the consistency needed to disrupt his rhythm,” said Jonassen. “Jun Hao gave it his all, but Lanier was simply flawless today with incredible fighting spirit.”
🔜 Next: China Open & World Championships
Leong Jun Hao is expected to compete next at the China Open Super 1000 in Changzhou from July 22–27, before heading to Paris for the 2025 World Championships in August. Jonassen emphasized that this period will be crucial to analyze and address weaknesses exposed in Tokyo.
“This match gave us the answers we were looking for ahead of the World Championships,” said Jonassen. “The road is still long, and this is part of the process.”
