Gutsy Sivasangari falters at the last hurdle in New York

PETALING JAYA: National No. 1 S. Sivasangari’s dream of landing her biggest career title at the Carol Weymuller Open did not materialise when she fell at the final hurdle in New York on Sunday.

The tournament, at bronze level of the Professional Squash Association (PSA) World Tour, was Sivasangari’s first final of the year but she found Egyptian world No. 8 Rowan Elarabi just unstoppable.

Sivasangari, the world No. 22, battled hard but could not stop the top-seeded Rowan from securing an 11-7, 6-11, 11-9, 11-6 win in 46 minutes.

The Sungai Petani-born lass fought well in the third game until it was 8-8 but Rowan stopped Sivasangari from executing her attacking game to gain the advantage.

Sivasangari had beaten the Egyptian in their last two meetings, with the most recent being the Manchester Open last year.

“I think I stuck to the plan today, concentrating on my length as Siva has great hands and is really tricky. So I had to make sure I didn’t give her the opportunity to attack,” Rowan told www.psaworldtour.com.Sivasangari, who is attached to the Cornell University in New York, will be competing in the Tournament of Champions next at the same city from May 1-7, seeking to continue her momentum in the PSA World Tour circuit.