Sze Fei-Izzuddin end five-year wait, eye revenge against Chinese rivals

KUALA LUMPUR: Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin ended their five-year wait for another Denmark Open quarter-final appearance on Thursday, setting up an enticing rematch against China's Liang Wei Keng-Wang Chang.

The world No. 6 Malaysians made light work of compatriots Chia Weijie-Teo Ee Yi, winning 21-18, 21-11 in just 28 minutes to advance to the last eight of the Super 750 tournament in Odense.

The victory was significant for Sze Fei-Izzuddin, who last reached the Denmark Open quarter-finals in 2021, when they went on to make the semi-finals.

Their subsequent appearances in 2022, 2024 and 2025 all ended in the opening round.

The sixth seeds have also maintained an impressive level of consistency of late, reaching at least the quarter-finals in eight of their last 10 individual tournaments.

That run includes their Indonesia Open triumph in June, a semi-final appearance at the Japan Open in July and quarter-final finishes at both the World Championships in August and Asian Games last month.

Sze Fei-Izzuddin, who also captured the Indonesia Masters title in January, have reached five semi-finals or better this season, including their runner-up finish at the Malaysia Masters in May.

They will now be looking to make it six when they face world No. 2

Wei Keng-Wang Chang on Friday.

The encounter offers the Malaysians an opportunity to avenge their recent Asian Games quarter-final defeat to the Chinese pair, who prevailed 21-13, 21-17 in just 29 minutes in Aichi-Nagoya last month.

Wei Keng-Wang Chang hold a commanding 4-1 advantage in their head-to-head record, although Sze Fei-Izzuddin's solitary victory came at the 2024 Arctic Open semi-finals.

The Malaysians will be eager to overcome their Chinese rivals and continue their pursuit of a third title this season.

Meanwhile, Chen Tang Jie-Chan Wen Tse produced a gallant performance before narrowly losing 21-23, 21-18, 22-20 to China's sixth seeds Guo Xin Wa-Chen Fang Hui in a thrilling 65-minute mixed doubles encounter.

The temporary Malaysian combination, reunited while Tang Jie's regular partner Toh Ee Wei recovers from an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury, showed tremendous fighting spirit against their higher-ranked opponents.

After edging the opening game, Tang Jie-Wen Tse surrendered the second before finding themselves trailing 15-5 in the decider.

However, they staged a remarkable comeback to level at 20-20, only for the Chinese to snatch the final two points and seal their quarter-final berth.

Despite the defeat, the performance offered encouraging signs for Tang Jie-Wen Tse, who also gave China's world No. 1 Feng Yan Zhe-Huang Dong Ping a competitive challenge at last week's Arctic Open in Finland.