PETALING JAYA: National squash player S. Sivasangari made history by booking her place in the World Championship quarter-finals for the first time, following a composed performance in Chicago, United States.
She is the first Malaysian in eight years to reach the quarter-finals, a feat last achieved by Datuk Nicol David in Manchester, United Kingdom.
The seventh seed faced home favourite Amanda Sobhy in the third round on Wednesday (May 14) at the Lakeshore Sport & Fitness centre and kept her nerves in check to secure a confident win.
Despite Sobhy’s spirited resistance, Sivasangari stayed focused on her game plan and wrapped up a straight-games victory 11-8, 14-12, 11-6 in 34 minutes.
The 26-year-old will face another American, fourth seed Olivia Weaver, in the quarter-finals.
In the men’s event, Ng Eain Yow was handed a tough assignment in the third round against world No. 1 Mostafa Asal of Egypt.
Eain Yow had lost two of their three previous meetings, including a first-round exit at the US Open last year, and once again found it difficult to break through the Egyptian.
Asal showed his class with a dominant performance, cruising to an 11-4, 11-6, 11-7 win to end the Kuala Lumpur-born player’s hopes of a quarter-final spot.
Already a subscriber? Log in
Get 20% OFF The Star Digital Access
Cancel anytime. Ad-free. Unlimited access with perks.
