Cheah beats Kim in Asian Para Games SU5 singles opener
The two-time Paralympic champion will meet Vietnam’s Van Ann Tuan next after also winning his opening doubles match with Faris Ahmad Azri.
Cheah Liek Hou defeated South Korea’s Kim Gi-Yeon 21-17, 21-10 to begin his SU5 men’s singles challenge at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Para Games. Their Group A contest was played at Ichinomiya City Municipal Gymnasium.
Aged 38, Cheah holds two Paralympic titles and took singles silver at Hangzhou 2022. Vietnam’s Van Ann Tuan awaits him in the next group fixture.
The other SU5 singles results included defeats for Faris Ahmad Azri and Amyrul Yazid Ahmad Sibi. Faris fell 21-19, 21-13 to Taiwan’s Fang Jen-yu in Group B. India’s Hardik Makkar defeated Amyrul 21-16, 16-21, 21-18 in Group F.
Cheah and Faris had already started their SU5 doubles campaign by beating Taiwan’s Jen-yu and Pu Gui-yu 21-13, 21-11. The reigning world champions faced the same opponents in the world championship final earlier in the year.
Boccia world champion Noor Askuzaimey Mat Salim recorded two victories in women’s individual BC4 Pool B, beating China’s Qi Cuifang 4-1 and the United Arab Emirates’ Raisa Alfalasi 7-1. Her next opponent is Uzbekistan’s Munira Abdullaeva.
Other boccia results saw Angeline Lawas defeat Taiwan’s Tsai Yi-ting in women’s individual BC1 Pool A and Avrinda Anis beat Japan’s Nana Annoki 7-2 in women’s individual BC2 Pool C. Thailand’s Pornchak Larpyen defeated Hanafi Mohd Rosli 16-0 in men’s individual BC4 Pool B.
