KUALA LUMPUR: Asian champions Malaysia finished third in the World Team Squash Championships after a 2-0 defeat to the United States in the women's semi-finals in Hong Kong today.
World No. 17 Rachel Arnold was tasked with drawing first blood for Malaysia but narrowly lost to world No. 30 Amanda Sobhy in a thrilling five-set match, going down 11-9, 7-11, 11-9, 5-11, 11-8.
The pressure then shifted to world No. 10 S. Sivasangari, who came agonisingly close to pulling off a stunning upset.
Despite racing to a two-game lead, Sivasangari was unable to hold off world No. 4 Olivia Weaver, who mounted a remarkable comeback to win 7-11, 9-11, 11-5, 11-2, 11-2 in 42 minutes.
The victory sent the US into the final, where they will face defending champions Egypt, who dispatched Belgium 2-0 earlier in the day.
National coach Andrew Cross praised his players' efforts against the higher-ranked Americans.
"I thought the players gave everything today. They tried their best and came up just short against two very good US players," said Cross.
"We were close to winning but couldn't quite get there."
Meanwhile, the Malaysian men's team overcame a tough challenge from Canada to win 2-1 in a playoff tie. Fifth-seeded Malaysia, who placed 11th in New Zealand last year, will face Scotland in the ninth spot tomorrow.