KUALA LUMPUR – There will be no dream all-Malaysian final, but men’s singles shuttler Cheah Liek Hou is just one match away from defending his Paralympic gold in Paris.
After successfully reaching the SU5 (standing upper) semi-finals as group winners, both Liek Hou and Muhammad Fareez Anuar only needed a win to secure gold and silver for Malaysia. However, only Liek Hou made it to the final.
The top-seeded Malaysian, who made history by becoming the first shuttler to win a Paralympic gold, defeated Tokyo Games silver medallist Dheva Anrimusthi of Indonesia, 21-17, 21-17, in the semi-finals.
Fareez, on the other hand, was a little unfortunate as he succumbed in three games, 21-12, 14-21, 21-6, to another Indonesian, Suryo Nugroho.
Speaking to Scoop, Liek Hou said: “To be honest, both Dheva and I were not in our best shape today. However, I controlled the shots better. Towards the end of both games, he made more unforced errors; that allowed me to close out the match.
“I’m really happy to be in the final again, but I must be wary of Suryo, who has nothing to lose against me.”
Liek Hou, 36, also hopes Fareez will put his semi-final defeat behind him and focus on winning the bronze medal when he takes on Dheva again. Fareez had already upset the Indonesian in the group stages last week.
“It’s a pity that we could not witness a historic all-Malaysian final in Paris, but Fareez can still make history by winning bronze.
“I hope he puts his defeat behind him and shifts his focus towards the bronze medal playoffs,” added Liek Hou, an eight-time world champion in the men’s singles SU5 category.
Separately, Indonesian Nova Armada, who trains both Liek Hou and Fareez, said he felt bad as he could only sit behind one player while both semi-finals ran concurrently at the Porte de La Chapelle Arena.
“Very unfortunate, because I could only sit behind one court and couldn’t go over during intervals or focus on both matches at the same time.
“Yes, we all expected an all-Malaysian final, especially after Fareez’s sensational performance in the group stage, but things happened.
“Nonetheless, he has exceeded expectations. Now we hope he can defeat Dheva again and win the bronze,” said Nova. – September 2, 2024