PETALING JAYA: The Egyptian Open quarter-final clash today between S. Sivasangari (pic) and Amina Orfi promises more than just a place in the last four.
For Sivasangari, it is also a chance to exact revenge after a string of defeats to the rising Egyptian star.
The two have faced off six times since 2023, but Sivasangari has only managed one win — in the final of the Hong Kong Football Club Open three years ago.
World No. 5 Amina has proven to be a thorn in her side, with the Malaysian falling to the 18-year-old twice already this year.
Their most recent encounter came in the semi-finals of the London Squash Classic three weeks ago, where Sivasangari fought hard but eventually went down 7-11, 7-11, 11-7, 5-11.
Thus, today’s quarter-final is set to be another stern test for the 26-year-old, with Amina holding the advantage of playing on home ground at Club O West in Giza.
“I played once already at the Pyramids. It’s a great venue, but completely different set-up, completely different tournament from the one I have been playing for the past few days,” said Sivasangari after her third round match.
“Tomorrow (Wednesday) I have a rest day, hopefully I get to train in the court, I will try to adapt as quick as I can.
“It’s different, it’s outdoor, other external factors to deal as well. I’ll try to rest, recover.”
Sivasangari, the seventh seed, booked her quarter-final spot by defeating England’s Jasmine Hutton 12-10, 7-11, 11-9, 11-5 on Monday.
Amina, meanwhile, powered past compatriot Farida Mohamed with an 11-5, 11-7, 12-10 victory.
This year’s run to the quarter-finals is already an improvement on her campaign last year, when she fell in the third round to another Egyptian, Nada Abbas.
“I remember last year here, I was up 2-0 against Nada and I lost that.
“I will try to progress at every tournament, to improve, and I’m happy to come through today,” added Sivasangari.
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