Malaysia’s squash sensation S.Sivasangari is setting her sights on a major breakthrough as she gears up for her debut appearance at the prestigious PSA World Tour Finals, taking place from 22nd June-27th June in Toronto.
The 26-year old World No.8. fresh off her title win at the Cincinnati Cup, has been handed a competitive but manageable group draw as she prepares to face-off against the sports elite. In Group A, she’ll go head-to-head with World No.1 Nouran Gohar (Egypt), World No.4 Olivia Weaver (USA), and World No.7 Satomi Watanabe (Japan)
Despite the tough competition, Sivasangari who trains under former World Champion Gregory Gaultier in Prague, is carrying strong momentum and confidence into the season-editing tournament, which gathers the world’s top eight players.
Group B features a star-studded lineup as well, with World No.2 and reigning world champion Nour El Sherbini, alongside No.5 Amina Orfi (Egypt), No.6 Tinne Gilis (Belgium) and No.9 Amanda Sobhy (USA).
Although the Malaysian ace has yet to beat top seed Gohar in four encounters, including a recent loss in the Grasshopper Cup final in April, she has a more promising track record against the rest of her group, Sivasangari has notched one win in seven matches against Weaver, and most recently triumphed over Satomi Watanabe at the British Open, a result that may boost her confidence going into the clash.
National coach Ajaz Azmat is optimistic about her chances, praising her current form both mentally and physically.
“She is training well, focused on quality over quantity, and looking sharp. The best of three format suits her, and she’s confident about her chances against Satomi and Weaver”
Sivasangari’s qualification is also a symbolic moment for Malaysian squash, marking the nation’s return to the PSA Finals stage after more than a decade.
“It’s a huge honor for Sivasangari and for Malaysia to have a player in the PSA finals again. The last was Datuk Nicol David, who won the title in 2011 and 2012”.
With the top two players from each group advancing to the semi-finals, all eyes will be on Sivasangari as she looks to carve her own legacy among sports elite.
Sources: NST
