NATIONAL squash player Rachel Arnold stayed patient to lead her team into the semi-finals.
Malaysia beat India 3-0 to set up a meeting with South Korea in the last four at the Hangzhou Olympic Centre Squash Court yesterday.
The 27-year-old Rachel, who played in the third position, had to dig deep to beat Anahat Singh 11-7, 11-7, 14-12 before sealing the victory.
The first two winning points came through S. Sivasangari and Aifa Azman. Sivasangari outwitted Joshna Chinappa 11-6, 11-2, 11-8 while Aifa battled to secure a narrow 9-11, 11-1, 7-11, 13-11, 11-5 win over Tanvi Khanna.
Rachel said loss of focus in the third set almost cost her chances but was relieved that she persevered.
“I think I just lost my focus a little after leading 2-0 and rushed to end the rally too early,” said Rachel.
“So, I decided to be more patient and tried to return to the style of play from the first two sets.”
With the victory, Malaysia finished top in Pool B, having triumphed 3-0 in all of their early-round group matches against Nepal, Pakistan and India.
South Korea finished second behind Hong Kong in Pool A, in the semi-finals yesterday after stunning Japan 2-1 in the final group match.
