PETALING JAYA: S. Sivasangari came agonisingly close to booking her spot in the Qatar Classic final but was denied entry by top seed Hania El Hammamy of Egypt on Thursday (Sept 17).
World No. 5 Sivasangari did not make it easy for the world No. 1, as Hania had to fight from behind and endure a five-game epic thriller to win 8-11, 11-9, 15-13, 9-11, 12-10 in a lengthy 87-minute clash at the Khalifa Tennis and Squash Complex in Doha.
It was their 12th meeting on court and Hania’s 10th win over Sivasangari, with the Egyptian also winning their final match at the PSA Squash Tour Finals in June.
Sivasangari will now shift her focus to the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games starting on Sept 23 as she aims to defend her gold medal, which would earn her a ticket to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
