PETALING JAYA: World No. 9 S. Sivasangari met her match in the third round of the Egyptian Open as the national No. 1 squash player was ousted by world No. 17 Nada Abbas in Cairo yesterday.
The Egyptian Open is the first diamond event of the Professional Squash Association (PSA) which offers a total prize money of US$325,500 (RM1.45mil) but the Malaysian lost her way after taking a 2-0 lead before going down 11-5, 11-9, 10-12, 9-11, 7-11 in 63 minutes.
The 24-year-old Abbas would be delighted with the win as it was her best result on the PSA Tour and a fine way to begin the 2024-2025 season with a bang.
Sivasangari was expected to check into the last eight without much trouble after getting off to a good start against her lower-ranked opponent at the OWest Complex in Giza, Cairo, but she lost her focus.
A slight lapse in concentration, as observed by national head coach Ajaz Azmat, gave Abbas the chance to stage a fightback and the Cairo-born player managed to secure a famous win to advance to the next round.
Sivasangari would be ruing the missed opportunity but it was also evident that players like Abbas are breathing down the necks of the top 10 players and she will have tough days ahead in a gruelling new season.
“It was a close match. Sangari slightly lost focus and tempo of the game in the third and Nada made a strong comeback,” said Ajaz.
“It’s a cycle of new players emerging and it is not going to be easy in the coming years. Sangari must be ready for the challenge.
“Sangari will be playing in the Paris Squash next and hopefully, she can bounce back stronger.”
Under the new structure by PSA, the Egyptian Open is one of the two events listed as diamond events.
The other diamond event is the British Open in Birmingham from June 1-8 next year where the prestigious tournament offers US$310,000 (RM1.35 million) for each of the men and women’s categories.
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