Calm approach does the trick for Sivasangari against tricky teen Lucie

PETALING JAYA: National squash player S. Sivasangari (pic) stayed calm to reach the second round of the US Open at the Arlen Specter US Squash Centre in Philadelphia yesterday.

The 22-year-old took 25 minutes to beat Lucie Stefanoni of the United States 11-5, 11-3, 9-11, 11-2 to set up a meeting against sixth seed Joelle King from New Zealand.

“Lucie (17) is an up and coming player, and obviously, it’s never an easy match against these young players. I’ve never played her before, so I just went in with a positive mindset and calm approach,” said Sivasangari.

Sivasangari, who is based in the United States and trains under former two-time world champion David Palmer, is looking forward to playing King for the first time in the Professional Squash Association (PSA) World Tour competition.

The only other time they had played each other was at the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, where the world No. 8 won.

“She’s been playing really well recently, and definitely it’s going to be a tough and good match. I will not put pressure on myself,” said Sivasangari.

In the men’s competition, Ng Eain Yow, who received a first-round bye, will face world No. 2 Mohamed El-Shorbagy of Egypt in the second round.