Malaysia’s top women’s squash player S.Sivasangari has secured her place in the third round of 2025 British Open following a testing second-round match against India’s rising star Anahat Singh.
Competing at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre, the world No.8 was made to work hard for her 12-10. 9-11, 11-8, 11-7 win in a contest that stretched to 45 minutes. Anahat, ranked 57th in the world, displayed remarkable composure and grit, pushing the Asian champion in every game.
With this victory, Sivasangari remains the sole Malaysian female player in the tournament, following early exits by Aira Azman and Noor Ainaa Amani Ampadi. National coach Ajaz Azmat acknowledged the intensity of the match, calling it a wake-up-call for the Malaysian star.
“Anahat really gave Sivasangari some anxious moments. She took a 10-8 lead in the first game, and although Sivasangari clawed her way back, she had to dig deep after dropping the second.A win is a win, and now she’ll turn her focus to the next challenge”.
Awaiting Sivasangari in the round of 16 in Japan’s Satomi Watanabe, the tournament’s seventh seed and current world No.7. Satomi comes into the encounter in top form, having breezed past France’s Melissa Alves 11-8, 11-5, 11-1 in just 20 minutes.
The matchup promises to be one of the most anticipated ties of the round, pitting two of Asia’s top-ranked players against each other. Satomi holds a psychological advantage, having defeated Sivasangari at the World Team Championships in Hong Kong last December.
“Satomi has been in excellent form lately. Sivasangari will have to be at her absolute best to book her place in the quarter-finals,” said Ajaz.
The third-round match is scheduled for Tuesday in Birmingham.
