While favourites Egypt cruised through to the final of the Hoe Hin White Flower Ointment Women's World Junior Team Championship after comfortable victories in today's quarter and semi-finals, their opponents Malaysia pulled off two impressive upsets - over England and New Zealand - to reach the climax of the biennial World Squash Federation event in Hong Kong as fifth-seeded outsiders.

With schedules being amended in the wake of a level-eight typhoon which is about to hit the Chinese territory, Malaysia took on England in the morning's quarter-finals - and beat the second seeds 2/1. Squad number three Nessrine Ariffin fought back from 2/0 down to beat England's 15-year-old Kimberley Hay 1-9, 3-9, 9-3, 9-1, 9-7 in the 46-minute opening rubber - then, in the battle between the top strings, Low Wee Wern took 54 minutes to overcome British Junior Champion Victoria Lust 9-6, 10-9, 9-6 to ensure Malaysia's historic victory.

There was consolation for England when Sarah-Jane Perry beat the Malaysian number two Low Wee Nee 8-10, 9-2 9-2 in the best-of-three final match. - but the loss consigns England to a finish outside the top four for the first time in the event's 22-year history.

Within hours, Malaysia were facing third seeds New Zealand in the semi-finals - this time the plucky squad fighting back from a match down to triumph 2/1 - Pushppa Devi losing the opening match to kiwi Lana Harrison before sisters Low Wee Wern and Low Wee Nee beat Joelle King and Kerry Wickett, respectively, to guarantee Malaysia a top two finish for the first time since 2001.

Defending champions Hong Kong ensured a finish in the top four after beating Canada, the No10 seeds, 3/0 in the quarters. But the squad was stopped in the semi-finals by Egypt, who avenged their surprise defeat in the 2005 final by beating the hosts 3/0.

South Africa are on the verge of their best finish since 1999 after beating ninth seeds Australia 2/1 in the 9-12 play-offs. The 13th seeds now meet 11th seeds India in the play-off for ninth place.

But perhaps the most significant progress is being made by event debutants South Korea. Seeded 16th, the emerging squad recovered from a morning defeat by India to upset 14th seeds Switzerland 3/0 in the afternoon. The newcomers now take on Netherlands, the 12th seeds, in a bid for a 13th place finish.

Semi-finals:
[1] EGYPT bt [4] HONG KONG 3-0
Nour Bahgat bt Tong Tsz Wing 9-2, 9-4, 9-0
Raneem El Weleily bt Annie Au 10-9, 9-1, 9-5
Heba El Torky bt Shin Nga Leung 9-2, 9-3

[5] MALAYSIA bt [3] NEW ZEALAND 2-1
Pushppa Devi lost to Lana Harrison 5-9, 9-7, 6-9, 9-7, 6-9
Low Wee Wern bt Joelle King 9-7, 9-3, 7-9, 9-5
Low Wee Nee bt Kerry Wickett 9-7, 3-9, 9-0, 9-6

5th - 8th place play-offs:
[6] FRANCE bt [10] CANADA 2-1
Coline Aumard lost to Samantha Cornett 7-9, 9-3, 0-9, 9-5, 5-9
Camille Serme bt Laura Gemmell 9-1, 9-5, 9-6
Faustine Gilles bt Jackie Moss 9-5, 9-7, 9-6

[2] ENGLAND bt [8] USA 2-1
Victoria Bell bt Emily Park 9-4, 9-3, 9-0
Victoria Lust bt Logan Greer 9-6, 9-3, 9-0
Sarah-Jane Perry lost to Olivia Blatchford 10-8, 8-10, 7-9

9th - 12th place play-offs:
[13] SOUTH AFRICA bt [9] AUSTRALIA 2-1
Alushca Botha lost to Kimberley Bessell 7-9, 9-2, 8-10, 3-9
Milnay Louw bt Melody Francis 9-2, 9-7, 10-8
Lizane Vlok bt Maggy Marshall 9-5, 1-9, 8-10, 9-7, 9-2

[11] INDIA bt [7] GERMANY 3-0
Surbhi Misra bt Steffi Muller 9-5, 4-9, 9-4, 2-9, 9-1
Dipika Pallikal bt Sina Wall 2-9, 9-1, 9-3, 9-1
Anwesha Reddy bt Astrid Kern 9-2, 7-9, 10-9

13th - 16th place play-offs:
[12] NETHERLANDS bt [15] JAPAN 2-1
Cigany Sierveld bt Mayu Yamazaki 9-5, 9-4, 9-2
Milou van der Heijden lost to Misaki Kobayashi 2-9, 5-9, 5-9
Melissa Meulenbelt bt Ikuko Tao 9-6, 9-2, 9-2

[16] SOUTH KOREA bt [14] SWITZERLAND 3-0
Lee Ji Hyun bt Caroline Bachem 6-9, 9-5, 9-3, 9-0
Sun-Mi Song bt Jasmin Ballman 8-10, 9-1, 9-0, 9-2
Yang Youn-Soo bt Agapi Kazamia 9-2, 9-6