KUALA LUMPUR: Harith Danial Jefri is the only Malaysian left standing at the World Junior Squash Championships (WJSC) in Houston, Texas.
The Sarawak-born player produced a scintillating performance to beat England's ninth seed Abdallah Eissa 11-6, 11-9, 11-6 to reach the boys' semi-finals on Monday.
Harith, also the ninth seed, will face South Korea's Joo Young Na for a place in the final later on Tuesday.
The Korean created the biggest upset of the competition by stunning defending champion and second seed Mohammad Hamza Khan of Pakistan 11-9, 11-9, 7-11, 3-11, 11-5 in the quarter-finals.
Harith has a good chance of reaching the final. Last month, the Malaysian defeated Young Na 11-9, 6-11, 11-6, 12-10 in the semi-finals of the Asian Junior Championships in Islamabad before losing to Hamza in the final.
Harith, who is featuring in his third WJSC, said he was thrilled to beat Abdallah in straight sets.
"Reaching the semi-finals is already an achievement as my target was to finish in the top 10 in the WJSC," said Harith.
"I am excited with my performance, but I need to stay calm and focused during my semi-final match.
"Although I defeated Young Na last month, it does not mean it will be easy in the semi-finals.
"Frankly, I am not expecting too much. I just want to give my best."
Meanwhile, Low Wa Sern's fine run in the competition ended in the quarter-finals.
The Perak-born player gave his best against India's Shaurya Bawa before going down in five sets 2-11, 11-4, 10-12, 11-8, 12-10.