Liek Hou and Faris one victory from Asian Para Games doubles gold
The unbeaten Malaysian pair must beat South Korea in their last SU5 round-robin match, but will first meet each other in the singles quarter-finals.
Cheah Liek Hou and Faris Azri can secure Malaysia's first badminton gold of the Asian Para Games in Ichinomiya City by defeating South Korea's Jeon Sun Woo and Kim Ge Yeon in their remaining SU5 men's doubles fixture.
The Malaysians have won both their matches in the four-pair competition, overcoming Fang Jen Yu and Pu Gui Yu of Taiwan as well as Thailand's Pricha Somsiri and Nattaphon Thaweesap. Liek Hou, a two-time Paralympic champion, said winning gold mattered particularly after Malaysia went without a title at Hangzhou 2022.
Before teaming up for the doubles match, Liek Hou and Faris must play each other in a singles quarter-final. Liek Hou said the draw at least ensured Malaysia would have a singles semi-finalist and a guaranteed medal.
Fang defeated Faris to finish first in Group B, keeping him apart from Group A winner Liek Hou in the quarter-finals. Coach Nova Armada said he expected Liek Hou to prove too strong for Faris.
Nova was not concerned by the all-Malaysian singles pairing. He said a quarter-final against Fang would have demanded more effort from Liek Hou and left him tired for the doubles encounter with the South Koreans.
