Malaysia’s squash players Ng Eain Yow and S. Sivasangari played key roles in securing bronze medals for their national teams at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Wednesday. Both the men’s and women’s teams advanced to the semi-finals of their respective events at the Kinjo Futo Arena, guaranteeing at least a bronze finish.

In the men’s quarter-finals, Malaysia defeated Japan 2-0. Sanjay Jeeva opened the scoring by overcoming Tomotaka Endo in 36 minutes with set scores of 11-4, 11-8, 7-11, 11-3. Ng Eain Yow then clinched victory for Malaysia by beating Ryunosuke Tsukue 11-6, 11-9, 11-6 over 45 minutes, securing the team’s place in the semi-finals. The Malaysian squad, which also includes C. Ameeshenraj and Syafiq Kamal, is set to face defending champions India in the next round, presenting a challenging matchup for a spot in the final.

On the women’s side, the Malaysian team maintained their bid to defend their Asian Games title with a 2-0 quarter-final win against Macau. Aira Azman, who recently turned 22, took just 15 minutes to defeat Liu Kwai Chi 11-2, 11-3, 11-4. Sivasangari followed with a 23-minute victory over Yeung Weng Chi, winning 11-6, 11-8, 11-9 and securing Malaysia’s advancement to the semi-finals. Alongside Aira Azman and Rachel Arnold, the women’s team will face host nation Japan for a place in the final.

Before Wednesday’s team event results, the Malaysian squash contingent had already earned three medals in Nagoya. Ng Eain Yow and Sivasangari successfully defended their individual gold medals, while the pair of Ameeshenraj and Rachel Arnold captured a bronze in the mixed doubles category.

The upcoming semi-final matches will determine if Malaysia can advance to the finals or settle for bronze in both the men’s and women’s team competitions at the Asian Games.