PETALING JAYA: It was mixed fortunes for para shuttler Cheah Liek Hou as he made it into the China Para International men's doubles SU5 (upper body impairment) final but lost in the men's singles.
In the singles, Liek Hou, who was involved in a dispute with the Paralympic Council of Malaysia (PCM), went down 23-25, 21-9, 14-21 to homester Li Mingpan in Beijing yesterday.
PCM had threatened to take action against the 37-year-old after he criticised the organisation on social media for failing to give him a RM60,000 incentive as promised for capturing gold in the 2024 Paris Paralympics last year.
Liek Hou could not raise his game against Mingpan and lost in 58 minutes, but made amends by pairing well with India's Ruthick Ragupathi to reach the men's doubles final.
Liek Hou and Ruthick held their nerves to beat French pair Meril Loquette-Lucas Mazur 21-18, 25-23.
Liek Hou now has an opportunity to avenge his defeat to Mingpan as he will face the Chinese and He Zhirui for the doubles title today.
On his loss in the singles, a disappointed Liek Hou said: " I played very badly. My mind was blank, and I had no strategy at all.
"The Chinese youngster is fast and powerful, while I could not focus at all."
Liek Hou was also not satisfied with his performance in the doubles and hopes to do better in the final.
"In the doubles, Ruthick and I were nearly forced into a decider, but luckily our opponents made more mistakes than we did in the end and we managed to win.
"I will try to improve my focus in the final. I hope I can play my normal game and win the title for the country."
