PETALING JAYA: The world is the oyster for budding squash professional S. Sivasangari.
The 18-year-old has enjoyed a superb year after leading Malaysia to a silver medal finish at the World Junior Team Championship in New Zealand in July.
She then bagged two golds at the Kuala Lumpur SEA Games in August before going on to win two Malaysian Tour Squash Circuit (SSJM) titles last month.
It took Sivasangari’s tally of Professional Squash Association (PSA) Tour titles to eight. She has climbed 14 rungs to reach a career high No. 47 in the world.
The Kedahan is now aiming for another milestone — to become only the second Malaysian winner at the Ohana Malaysian Open. Only Nicol David has won the title, winning it eight times from 2005-2011 and in 2013.
The tournament is back as a PSA10 (US$10,000; RM42,180) event after a two-year absence.
“It means a lot to us (women players) because we need more PSA10 events, especially in Malaysia.
“It is important for us in terms of ranking points and to see where we stand at world level.
“Personally, I really want to close the gap on Nicol as much as possible, especially in terms of performance.
“I do hope to go all the way and win the title but it’s not going to be easy,” said Sivasangari.
Sivasangari is the fourth seed. She faces a qualifier in the first round of the main draw tomorrow.
She is expected to reach the semi-finals where she is expected to meet compatriot and second seed Rachel Arnold.
An added motivation for Sivasangari to do well is the fact that the first round is on Deepavali.
“Deepavali is a day for me to spend time with my family. As an athlete, I usually can’t attend family gatherings so this is the time to catch up with my relatives.
“That’s why I really hope the sacrifices that I’ve made is worth it in the end,” added Sivasangari, who will celebrate Deepavali with her parents at their home in Seri Kembangan.
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