Sivasangari burns out at Squash on Fire with quarter-final exit

PETALING JAYA: National squash player S. Sivasangari (pic) squandered a two-set lead to bow out in the quarter-finals of the Squash on Fire Open in Washington.

The world No. 26 was in commanding form when she took the first two sets 11-9, 11-8 against Nour El Tayeb but the Egyptian made a remarkable comeback to troop out as the winner after winning the next three sets 11-6, 11-9, 11-4.

The 28-year-old Tayeb will face teammate and world No. 1 Nour El Sherbini in the semi-finals.

The former world No. 3, who is No. 81 in the world now, is only playing in her second tournament since the 2020 Egyptian Open after giving birth last summer.

Tayeb, who reached the quarter-finals at the CIB Squash Open in Egypt last year, was delighted with her comeback win against the 23-year-old Sivasangari.

“I’m happy to come back, and literally in the match!,” said Tayeb in the Professional Squash Association (PSA) website.

“I can’t say I’m back to form, I can see a lot of areas where I’m not back to where I was, but I think I’m improving at a very nice pace, and I’m enjoying the improvements.

“I didn’t think, coming into this tournament, that I was going to win two matches. But to be in the semis of a Bronze event, I’m very proud of myself.”

It was also all over for world No. 35 Rachel Arnold when she lost 9-11, 10-12, 9-11 to American world No. 24 Sabrina Sobhy in the quarter-finals.

QUARTER-FINAL RESULTS

Men: Mohamed El Shorbagy (Egy) bt Omar Mosaad (Egy) 11-5, 11-9, 11-7; Iker Pajares Bernabeu (Spa) bt Greg Lobban (Sco) 11-8, 11-6, 9-11, 11-9; Yourself Soliman (Egy) bt Cesar Salazar (Mex) 11-5, 11-5, 11-3; Joel Makin (Wal) bt James Willstrop (Eng) 11-8, 14-12, 9-11, 11-2.

Women: Nour El Sherbini (Egy) bt Nele Gilis (Bel) 11-5, 11-1, 11-6; Nour El Tayeb (Egy) bt S. Sivasangari (Mas) 9-11, 8-11, 11-6, 11-9, 11-4; Sabrina Sobhy (Usa) bt Rachel Arnold (Mas) 11-9, 12-10, 11-9; Joelle King (Nzl) bt Lucy Turmel (Eng) 11-7, 11-8, 11-8.