French Open 2026: Goh-Izzuddin Beat World No. 1 Pair to Reach SF
Sixth seeds down Korea’s Kim Won-ho-Seo Seung-jae 21-15, 21-18 in Paris, reversing their World Championships quarter-final loss
Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin are into the semi-finals of the Yonex French Open after beating top seeds and world No. 1 Kim Won-ho and Seo Seung-jae of South Korea 21-15, 21-18 in the men’s doubles quarter-finals at the Super 750 event.
The Malaysian sixth seeds took the first game 21-15 and held on in the second, 21-18, to knock out the defending champions. It was a measured response to a pair that had dominated the rivalry, as Sze Fei-Izzuddin had lost four of their six previous meetings with the Koreans. The most recent was painful: they lost 16-21, 16-21 to Kim and Seo in the World Championships quarter-finals in New Delhi in August.
They know how to beat them, however. In June they stunned the world No. 1 pair in the Indonesia Open semi-finals, and went on to win the Super 1000 title. Friday’s result adds to that, making it three wins in seven meetings for Sze Fei-Izzuddin, by my count from Bernama’s pre-match head-to-head.
The Malaysians had to fight to get this far. In the first round they edged Denmark’s Rasmus Kjaer and Christian Faust Kjaer 21-17, 19-21, 21-17 in 51 minutes, then came from a game down again in the last 16, beating Daniel Lundgaard and Mads Vestergaard of Denmark 21-6, 14-21, 21-18. Kim and Seo, meanwhile, were the 2025 champions in Paris, so their exit also opens up the draw.
Sze Fei-Izzuddin will play for a place in Sunday’s final on Saturday, against Indonesian pair Leo Rolly Carnando-Daniel Marthin
Credit Photo : BERNAMA
