PETALING JAYA: Egypt have a firm grip on squash, and they solidified their dominance once again at the World Championships in Chicago recently with the nation taking home both the men’s and women’s titles.
But how far is Malaysia trailing behind the Egyptians?
National coaching director Andrew Cross admitted that Egypt have some of the best players in the world at the moment, but it won’t be long before our players can properly challenge them.
“Egypt do have some of the best players in the world and we are trying very hard to close that gap,” said Cross.
“We have some really good players at the moment and the majority of them are at their highest world rankings.
“Ng Eain Yow and S. Sivasangari are two exceptional talents, and both will be challenging the world’s best over the next couple of years,” he said.
Men’s world No. 1 Mostafa Asal and women’s No. 2 Nour El Sherbini of Egypt won the prestigious title in Chicago last week, with El Sherbini’s win equalling Datuk Nicol David’s record of eight World Championship titles.
Malaysia’s efforts came to an end in the quarter-final after world No. 8 Sivasangari lost to world No. 4 Olivia Weaver.
Sivasangari became the first Malaysian in eight years to enter the quarter-finals since Nicol did it in 2017.
In the men’s category, Eain Yow fought to equal his best result after exiting in the third round at the hands of Asal.
National head coach Ajaz Azmat also had praises for our players, saying their performance has been on the rise as of late.
“Sivasangari and Eain Yow did really well, they are closing the gap with the top players.
“Now that the world champs are over, our players are all back at their bases and are preparing for the British Open, which will be their last tournament of the season,” he said.
The British Open is set to take place in Birmingham from May 27-June 8.
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