Kumamoto, Japan — Malaysia’s men’s doubles pair Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin Rumsani made a strong start to their 2025 Kumamoto Masters campaign, powering into the second round with a straight-game win that keeps their BWF World Tour Finals hopes alive.
The world No. 4 duo took just 30 minutes to dispatch Korea’s Kang Min Hyuk and Ki Dong Ju 21–17, 21–13 in their opening match at the Kumamoto Prefectural Gymnasium.
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Crucial Win in Race to Hangzhou
The victory was a timely boost for Goh and Izzuddin, who must deliver exceptional results in Japan and the Australian Open (Nov 18–23) to secure a berth at the BWF World Tour Finals 2025 in Hangzhou, China.
Their qualification chances brightened further when compatriots Man Wei Chong and Tee Kai Wun, ranked world No. 5, suffered a shock early exit — falling 19–21, 18–21 to Japan’s Hiroki Midorikawa and Kyohei Yamashita.
With that result, Goh/Izzuddin (currently No. 7 in the BWF World Tour standings) have a realistic shot at overtaking Man/Tee (No. 3) if they can sustain their momentum in Kumamoto. Only two Malaysian pairs can qualify for the year-end championship, with Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik already securing one slot as world No. 2.
Next Challenge: Japanese Opposition
Seeded second in Kumamoto, Goh and Izzuddin will face the winners between Japan’s Tori Aizawa/Daisuke Sano and Keiichi Matsui/Katsuki Tamate in Thursday’s round of 16.
Their focus now is to maintain consistency across both remaining tournaments before Hangzhou — with nothing less than a title finish likely to keep their season alive.
Other Malaysian Results
Malaysia enjoyed a productive opening day in Kumamoto, with multiple pairs advancing:
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Nur Mohd Azriyn Ayub/Tan Wee Kiong defeated Lai Po Yu/Tsai Fu Cheng of Taiwan 21–16, 21–14 to book a second-round meeting with Japan’s Kakeru Kumagai/Hiroki Nishi.
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Ong Yew Sin/Teo Ee Yi overcame Chen Zhi Ray/Lin Yu Chieh of Taiwan 21–18, 21–18 and will next face Midorikawa/Yamashita, the pair who stunned Man/Tee earlier.
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Choong Hon Jian/Muhammad Haikal Nazri continued Malaysia’s strong run, beating Japan’s Kazuki Shibata/Naoki Yamada 21–19, 21–16 to set up a clash with Liu Kuang Heng/Yang Po Han of Taiwan.
Ong Xin Yee and Carmen Ting Stun World No. 11 Pair
In women’s doubles, rising Malaysian stars Ong Xin Yee and Carmen Ting produced a sensational upset, defeating world No. 11 Hsieh Pei Shan and Hung En Tzu of Taiwan 22–20, 18–21, 21–10 after an intense 59-minute battle.
Ranked world No. 33, the young Malaysians displayed tremendous grit to record their first-ever victory against a top-15 pair. They will meet Japan’s Rui Hirokami and Sayaka Kobara (world No. 23) in the next round as they chase back-to-back quarterfinal appearances after their strong showing at the Hylo Open in Germany last week.
Man/Tee Face Setback After Early Exit
Meanwhile, Man Wei Chong and Tee Kai Wun’s hopes of clinching early qualification for the BWF World Tour Finals took a major hit after their early-round defeat.
The third seeds appeared rusty throughout the 35-minute contest, struggling to find rhythm — with Tee still recovering from a calf injury sustained earlier in the season. Their loss means they must now rely on results involving Goh/Izzuddin to determine whether they will make the trip to Hangzhou this December (Dec 17–21).
With multiple Malaysian pairs advancing, the Kumamoto Masters 2025 promises to be a crucial turning point for the country’s men’s and women’s doubles teams — a week that could ultimately decide who earns the honor of representing Malaysia at the season-ending BWF World Tour Finals.
