Cheah Liek Hou will face Taiwan's Fang Jen Yu in today's Paralympic men's singles SU5 semi-finals at the Yoyogi National Stadium in Tokyo.
Although the Malaysian had easily defeated Jen Yu in straight games in Thursday's Group B match, coach Rashid Sidek has warned his shuttler not to take his opponent lightly.
In the draw ceremony yesterday, both players were drawn to face off again in the semi-finals. The final is also scheduled today.
The other semi-final is between Indonesia's top seed Dheva Andrimusthi and compatriot Suryo Nugroho.
Dheva topped Group A while Suryo finished runner-up.
"Liek Hou may have easily defeated Jen Yu in the group stage, but I do not want him to take things for granted tomorrow (today)," said Rashid yesterday.
"No player should take things lightly in the semi-finals. I want Liek Hou to play well and not give his opponent opportunities to settle down and dictate the match.
"He should finish off his opponent in two games. If it drags, it could affect Liek Hou in the final, which is on the same day.
"Anyway, I do not want Liek Hou to think about the final yet. He has to concentrate on overcoming Jen Yu first to earn a ticket to the gold medal match."
Yesterday, Liek Hou topped Group B by overcoming Taiyo Imai of Japan 21-19, 21-12.
After the win, Liek Hou said he will not take Jen Yu for granted in the semi-finals.
"I may have won against Jen Yu here, but tomorrow is a different scenario as it is the Paralympic semi-finals.
"I have to be cautious as Jen Yu may use a different strategy during the match. I feel motivated to reach the final," he said.
Liek Hou added that it was an honour to play on the TV court for the first time in his career when he defeated Imai.
Meanwhile, Rashid has studied Dheva's game and believes he is in great form in Tokyo.
"Dheva is the favourite here. He should reach the final tomorrow. If Liek Hou reaches the final, he should not get too worried about Dheva. The key is to play to form," said Rashid.
