KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's hopes in the International Bowling Federation (IBF) World Cup men's singles competition rest solely on Rafiq Ismail, who advanced to Friday's knockout stage in Hong Kong.
The Asia No. 1 secured his spot in the last 32 after emerging as the only Malaysian survivor from the gruelling two-day round-robin group stage.
Rafiq finished third in Group C2 with 28 points, earned through nine victories and one draw.
While Rafiq progressed, his compatriots fell short in heartbreaking fashion.
Both Timmy Tan and Tun Hakim Tun Hasnul Azam narrowly missed qualification, finishing fifth in their respective groups with 24 points each.
Timmy, who placed fourth in the 2022 edition, missed the cut by just three points in Group A1. Hakim's exit proved even more dramatic in Group B1, where he was eliminated through a four-way tie-breaker against Hong Kong's Wu Siu Hong, New Zealand's Josh Stretton, and Germany's Dennis Gruenheid.
In the one-game roll-off to determine the third and fourth spots, Siu Hong and Stretton both scored 214, outpacing Hakim (191) and Gruenheid (163).
Ahmad Muaz Fishol, a bronze medalist in 2017, also fell short, finishing sixth in Group D1. His 21 points left him just three points shy of qualification.
The knockout stage, scheduled for Friday, will feature head-to-head best-of-three matches starting from the round of 32.
Winners will advance through the last 16, quarter-finals, and semi-finals before the World Cup singles champions are crowned.