KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's hopes of qualifying for the 2023 Netball World Cup were dashed by a 54-41 defeat to hosts Singapore in the semi-finals of the Asian Championships at OCBC Arena today.
World No 34 Singapore raced to a 13-11 lead in the first quarter and widened the gap to 28-18 in the second quarter.
World No 25 Malaysia fought back in the third quarter to reduce the deficit to 36-33, but their fight fizzled out in the final quarter.
Singapore will face world No 19 and defending champions Sri Lanka, who defeated Hong Kong 67-43, in the final tomorrow.
Finalists Sri Lanka and Singapore have qualified for the World Cup in South Africa.
Malaysia will take on Hong Kong in the bronze medal playoff tomorrow.