KUALA LUMPUR: With top seeds Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani suffering an early exit, Indonesia’s men’s doubles pairs are sensing an opportunity to claim the Swiss Open crown.
Sze Fei-Izzuddin put on a lacklustre display in their opening-round match, falling 23-25, 21-15, 11-21 to Japan’s Hiroki Midorikawa-Kyohei Yamashita.
Their exit has opened the door for other contenders, particularly Indonesia, which now has three pairs advancing to the second round.
Last year’s semi-finalists Sabar Karyaman-Moh Reza, who are now under the guidance of legendary shuttler Hendra Setiawan, see this as a positive development, especially with all their compatriots avoiding early-round clashes against each other.
Sabar-Moh Reza eased past Ireland’s Declan Bennett-Richard Kong on Wednesday and will face England’s Callum Hemming-Ethan Van Leeuwen in the second round.
A win could set up a quarter-final showdown with fellow Indonesians Leo Rolly-Bagas Maulana, who take on Taiwan’s Fang Chih-lee-Fang Jen-lee next.
Should they keep progressing, a potential semi-final clash against another Indonesian pair, last year’s runners-up Shohibul Fikri-Daniel Marthin, could be on the cards.
“It’s true that our opponents weren’t too strong yet, so we used this first round to adapt to the court conditions and shuttlecock. Thankfully, everything went smoothly.”
“We’re quite pleased with the draw changes because we no longer have to face Fikri-Daniel in the last 16. Although there’s still a possibility of meeting Leo-Bagas in the quarter-finals and Fikri-Daniel in the semis, at least we avoid them in the early rounds. Hopefully, we can keep winning,” said Sabar in an interview with the Indonesia Badminton Association.
Aside from Sze Fei-Izzuddin’s early exit, several other players also fell victim to first-round upsets.
In the women’s singles event, Denmark’s Julie Dawall Jakobsen stunned 2022 champion P. V. Sindhu with a 21-17, 21-19 victory.
Meanwhile, in men’s singles, France’s Christo Popov pulled off a major upset by defeating sixth seed Chou Tien-chen of Taiwan 21-23, 21-19, 21-14. The win served as redemption for Popov after his early exit in the same tournament last year.
