KUALA LUMPUR, March 21 — With top seeds Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin Rumsani exiting the Swiss Open in the opening round, Indonesia’s men’s doubles pairs are eyeing an opportunity to claim the title.
According to The Star, Goh and Nur Izzuddin struggled in their match against Japan’s Hiroki Midorikawa and Kyohei Yamashita, losing 23-25, 21-15, 11-21. Their defeat has created a pathway for Indonesia, which has three pairs advancing to the second round.
Among the Indonesian pairs are last year’s semi-finalists, Sabar Karyaman Gutama and Moh Reza Pahlevi Isfahani, now coached by badminton legend Hendra Setiawan.
The Star reported that Sabar and Moh Reza comfortably defeated Ireland’s Declan Bennett and Richard Kong to book a second-round clash with England’s Callum Hemming and Ethan Van Leeuwen.
Speaking to the Indonesia Badminton Association, Sabar noted that the early rounds had gone smoothly for them, partly due to a favourable draw.
“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,” he was quoted saying, referring to compatriots Shohibul Fikri and Daniel Marthin, last year’s runners-up.
The tournament has also witnessed significant first-round upsets.
Denmark’s Julie Dawall Jakobsen defeated 2022 women’s singles champion P. V. Sindhu 21-17, 21-19.
In the men’s singles, France’s Christo Popov stunned sixth-seeded Chou Tien-chen of Taiwan with a hard-fought 21-23, 21-19, 21-14 victory.
