KUALA LUMPUR: National men's badminton pair Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani made it two titles in just three months after capturing the Kaoshiung Masters in Taiwan today.
The world No. 29 notched a dominant 21-14, 21-10 win over Taiwanese top seeds Lee Jhe Huei-Yang Po Hsuan to claim the third World Tour title of their careers.
The win, however, came as little surprise as Sze Fei-Izzuddin had also beaten the world No. 19 with relative ease during last month's Hong Kong Open.
Sze Fei-Izzuddin had won the US Open in July, which was their first tournament together following a brief five-month split due to "lost of trust".
Although the Kaoshiung Masters was only a Super 100-rated event, the points earned from the victory are expected to help them move up by a few rungs and closer to the world's top 20.
Sze Fei-Izzuddin, who were also last year's German Open champions, are desperate to climb the ranks in order to keep alive their slim hopes of qualifying for the Paris Olympics next year.
Right now, they sit fourth among the Malaysian pairs at No. 31 in the Race to Paris rankings behind Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik (No. 3), Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi (No. 7) and Man Wri Chong-Tee Kai Wun (No. 18). They need to crack the top eight if they want to earn their Olympic debut.
With their confidence boosted, Sze Fei-Izzuddin look forward to the Artic Open in Vaanta, Finland, from Oct 10-15 and the inaugural Abu Dhabi Masters from Oct 17-22.