Malaysia’s Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin Rumsani have kept their faint hopes of qualifying for the BWF World Tour Finals alive after advancing to the second round of the Japan Masters in Kumamoto.
The independent pair produced an assured display to defeat South Korea’s Kang Min-hyuk–Ki Dong-ju 21-17, 21-13 in just 30 minutes at the Kumamoto Prefectural Gymnasium on Wednesday.
Their victory came on the same day that compatriots Man Wei Chong–Tee Kai Wun suffered a shock 19-21, 18-21 defeat to Japan’s Kyohei Yamashita–Hiroki Midorikawa in the opening round — a result that could open the door for Sze Fei-Izzuddin in the race to Hangzhou.
Wei Chong–Kai Wun currently sit third in the Race to Finals standings, while Sze Fei–Izzuddin are seventh. To remain in contention for a Finals berth, the latter must win the Japan Masters title this week.
The world No. 4 duo — runners-up at last year’s World Tour Finals — will next face the winners of the all-Japanese clash between Tori Aizawa–Daisuke Sano and Keiichiro Matsui–Katsuki Tamate for a spot in the quarter-finals.
Sze Fei–Izzuddin are seeded second in Kumamoto, behind top seeds Seo Seung-jae–Kim Won-ho of South Korea.
