KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia, led by Ng Eain Yow, recorded a hard-fought 2-1 victory over South Africa in the ninth-16th playoff at the World Team Squash Championships in Hong Kong today.
With the win, Malaysia, who finished 11th in New Zealand last year, will now face either Canada or Pakistan in the ninth-12th placing match tomorrow.
In the opening tie, national champion Addeen Idrakie battled for 67 minutes before narrowly falling to Luhan Groenewald 11-7, 7-11, 9-11, 15-13, 11-7.
However, Asian champion and world No. 13 Eain Yow restored parity with an emphatic 11-9, 11-3, 11-3 win over Dewald Van Niekerk.
The decisive point was delivered by United States-based Sanjay Jeeva, who cruised to an 11-7, 11-3, 11-2 victory against Damian Groenewald.
Meanwhile, in the women's competition, fifth seeds Malaysia will face the United States in tomorrow's semi-finals.
The American side, led by world No. 4 Olivia Weaver, overcame India 2-0 in the quarter-finals earlier today.