PETALING JAYA: National para shuttler Cheah Liek Hou (pic) went from rivals to partners with Brazil’s Yuki Rodrigues, and the switch paid off handsomely.
Liek Hou and Ridrigues stormed to the men’s doubles SU5 (upper body impairment) title at the Spanish International, defeating Taiwan’s Fang Jen-yu-Gui Yu-pu 21-11, 21-15 in just 20 minutes.
Liek Hou then completed a superb double, successfully defending both his singles and doubles titles after earlier beating Jen-yu 21-19, 21-16 in the final.
The 37-year-old had partnered compatriot Mohd Fareez Anuar to win the doubles crown last year, but was forced to find a new partner after Fareez was deemed ineligible following changes to the SU5 classification.
Rodrigues, 24, is also a singles competitor and had previously faced Liek Hou as an opponent, including at the Bahrain International in 2023 where the Malaysian emerged victorious.
The meet in Spain marked Liek Hou’s first outing since capturing his ninth World Championships singles title in Bahrain in February.
