KUALA LUMPUR: Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani delivered an error-free and aggressive performance to clinch the India Open men's doubles crown on Sunday, ending Malaysia's 11-year title drought at the tournament.
The world No. 2 revealed they had modelled their game after Indonesian legends Hendra Setiawan-Mohammad Ahsan to overcome Malaysia Open champions Kim Wan Ho-Seo Seung Jae 21-15, 13-21, 21-16 in the Super 750 final in New Delhi.
This victory proved Sze Fei-Izzuddin are the only consistent top-10 pair since the Paris Olympics, claiming their fourth title in five finals.
Their previous victories were at the Japan Open, China Open and Arctic Open, all last year.
It was also Malaysia's first India Open title since 2014, when Datuk Lee Chong Wei captured the men's singles crown.
The last Malaysian men's doubles victory at the tournament was secured by Zakry Latif-Fairuzizuan Tazari in 2010.
Sze Fei said their offensive and pressing gameplay drew inspiration from the three-time world champions, Hendra and Ahsan.
"We model our style of play after Hendra-Ahsan, who are our idols. They are solid in both attack and defence, and we strive to keep improving to emulate them," said Sze Fei.
"The Koreans today made very few unforced errors, so we had to be patient in every rally.
"In the second game, Won Ho-Seung Jae raised their pace, leaving us with little chance to attack. However, we managed to return to our attacking style in the third game.
"It means a lot to win the men's doubles title for Malaysia after 15 years."
While Hendra-Ahsan prepare for their farewell appearance at the Indonesia Masters starting Tuesday, Sze Fei-Izzuddin will skip the Super 500 tournament.
Izzuddin said it felt good to win the title, adding that continuous improvement will remain their goal over chasing the world No. 1 ranking.
"It feels great to win here, and we want to keep this momentum going. Our focus is not on becoming world No. 1 but on improving our performance.
"If we can play better, everything else will fall into place," said Izzuddin.
For their efforts, Sze Fei-Izzuddin pocketed US$70,300 (RM316,800), while Won Ho-Seung Jae settled for US$33,250 (RM149,850).