PETALING JAYA: It was a glorious day for Malaysian squash as three national players stormed into the semi-finals of two separate tournaments on Friday (April 25).
In Zurich, Switzerland, S. Sivasangari continued her fine form at the Grasshopper Cup, easing into the last four after brushing aside Egypt’s Nada Abbas 11-6, 11-3 in just 15 minutes.
The Kedah-born player will face a tough challenge in the semi-finals, where she is set to take on second seed Tinne Gilis of Belgium.
“I think I came in well prepared today. Best-of-three matches go by quickly, so I knew I had to start strong from the first point.
“Nada’s a fighter who never gives up, so I had to stay composed even when I was ahead. I’m just happy to make it through to the next round.
“I was a little nervous inside, but I focused on taking the ball early and playing my own game. I didn’t want to follow her rhythm and instead stuck to my tactics and game plan, which worked well today," said Sivasangari in an interview with Professional Squash Association (PSA).
Meanwhile, in Washington, Ng Eain Yow and Rachel Arnold also impressed as they booked their places in the semi-finals of the Squash On Fire Open.
Rachel made light work of world No. 49 Nadine Shahin of Egypt, cruising to an 11-6, 11-7, 11-7 win in just 21 minutes.
A tougher test awaits the Malaysian as she goes up against top seed Rowan Elaraby, who advanced with an 11-6, 11-5, 11-8 win over compatriot Salma Eltayeb in another quarter-final match.
In the men’s event, second seed Eain Yow also enjoyed a convincing win, coming from a game down to beat Egypt’s Karim El Hammamy 5-11, 11-8, 11-3, 11-3.
He will next face another Egyptian, Kareem El Torkey, in the semi-finals.
