PETALING JAYA: S. Sivasangari just loves the Swiss crowd.
The Malaysian squash ace drew strong support at the Zurich Main Station as she staged a sensational comeback by dumping top seed Amina Orfi of Egypt in the semi-finals of the Grasshopper Cup to make her second straight final appearance.
The world No. 6 showcased grit as she fought back against Orfi, winning 11-7, 5-11, 8-11, 11-9, 11-5 in 81 minutes on Saturday to make her second final appearance in a row in the meet.
Sivasangari faces second seed Satomi Watanabe of Japan in the final.
"I love Zurich, and I love the crowd here. It reminds me of the London Classic with so many ‘come on Sivas’ and everyone cheering for me," said the 27-year-old.
"The crowd is great. I love this event.
"I made it to the finals last year as well, and I made it again this year after beating a top player."
The win was particularly significant as it ended Sivasangari’s six-match losing streak against the world No. 3.
Sivasangari has only won once in their previous nine encounters, which came at the Hong Kong Football Club final in 2023.
Sivasangari, who had lost to 18-year-old Orfi earlier this year at the Karachi Open, was relieved to get past the rising player after repeated attempts.
"I feel happy. There’s nothing much to say about her (Orfi). She’s world No. 3 and she’s still young, but she’s a very strong player.
"I just focused on my game plan, and there’s always a bit of physicality with her, but I tried to stay composed and calm.
"I did not overthink but just enjoyed it instead without getting distracted with things out of my control," she said.
Sivasangari settled for runner-up at last year’s edition to Egypt’s Nouran Gohar.
SEMI-FINAL RESULTS
Women: S. Sivasangari (Mas) bt Amina Orfi (Egy) 11-7, 5-11, 8-11, 11-9, 11-5; Satomi Watanabe (Jpn) bt Georgina Kennedy (Eng) 11-7, 11-5, 11-7.
