S. Sivasangari (right)
PETALING JAYA: S. Sivasangari (pic) silenced the Cairo crowd with a masterful performance to oust 14th seed Nadine Shahin of Egypt to storm into the last 16 of the World Championships yesterday.
Sivasangari, the world No. 20, stayed calm and stuck to the game plan to outsmart her opponent with a 11-9, 11-9, 11-9 win in just 25 minutes in the second round.
Having lost her four previous meeting against Nadine, the Sungai Petani-born Sivasangari ended her losing streak with a determined and disciplined approach to claim her berth.
“I feel really happy with today’s win. I’ve played Nadine a few times, and this is my first time beating her. So I feel really pleased with my performance,” said Sivasangari.
“This is my second time getting into the last 16 by beating a top player. So I just feel happy, but it’s not over yet. So I’m gonna focus on my next round.”
Meanwhile, national head coach Ajaz Azmat was pleased with the way Sivsanagari had went about her task and expects more from the 23-year-old.
“It was a great performance from Sangari. She is showing maturity on court and able to stick to her game plan especially in the third game. She moved well and didn’t allow Nadine to get into her rhythm,” said Ajaz.
“If she can keep up this performance, she is on the right track and can play even better.”
She will meet another Egyptian, Nour El tayeb, who defeated teammate Salma Hany 12-10, 9-11, 11-3, 11-3, in the next round tomorrow.
