PETALING JAYA: Individual silver medallist Mohd Syafiq Kamal led by example as the Malaysian boys secured top spot in Pool B of the Asian Youth Games at Nanjing, China.
The team, who already qualified for the semi-finals, needed to beat Hong Kong in order to give themselves a better draw in the last four.
And they did just that by overcoming a persistent Hong Kong 2-1 on Wednesday.
Pahang’s Darren Chan gave them the start they needed by beating Lau Tsz Kwan 11-3, 11-3, 12-14, 11-7 in the first tie.
Hong Kong however levelled the tie as Chris Lo played a consistent game to frustrate Asian Junior Under-17 champion Ng Eain Yow to win 12-10, 9-11, 11-6, 9-11, 11-9.
It was up to Syafiq to rescue the team and he duly delivered, with an outstanding performance to beat Hong Kong No. 1 Yuen Tsun Hei 11-6, 11-6, 11-8.
In their final group match against Thailand on Thursday, the team had an easy run out by thrashing Thailand 3-0.
Malaysia will face Jordan in the semi-finals later today while Hong Kong will face top seeds India.
“The test for the boys was taking on Hong Kong where we faced some real resistance,” said team manager Allan Soyza.
“Darren played well to take the a 2-0 lead, and although he was pinned back in the third set, he upped his game to seal it in the fourth.
“Eain Yow had an up and down match and despite having the physical advantage, Chris had the upper hand in terms of game control and displayed better consistency to win that tie.
“The decider was Syafiq’s match, against Tsun Hei whom he had already beaten in the individual event a few days ago.
“Basically he was in no mood to drop a game and started fabulously ... taking total control to seal the winning point. That was the best from him all week,” added Soyza.
Meanwhile, in the girls’ event, Malaysia will face India in the semi-finals while Hong Kong will take on Japan.
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