Malaysia enjoyed a strong showing at the Australian Open Squash Championships in Brisbane as 4 national players has secured their places in the quarter-finals. Leading the charge in the women’s category was top seed S.Sivasangari, who delivered a strong performance against England’s Grace Gear. The world No. 6 needed only 24 minutes to win in straight sets, 11-4. 11-3,11-7, booking her spot in the next round.
Sivasangari will next face fellow Malaysian Aira Azman in an all-Malaysian semi-finals round, who is also the world No.20. She advanced after a hard fought match against Hong Kong’s Tomato Ho. Aira won the match 11-4, 12-10,8-11, 5-11, 11-6 to move into the last eight.
Despite her strong run, Aira faces a tough challenge. She has yet to defeat Sivasangari in their previous 3 meetings, with the senior player holding the advantage.
Another Malaysian in the women’s draw, Aifa Azman, also progressed to the quarter-final after defeating France’s Marie Stephan 11-9, 11-9, 11-4. Aifa will next take on Belgium’s Nele Gilis, the world No.12. Malaysia will be looking for her first win against Gilis after losing all 4 of their previous encounters.
In the men’s competition, Malaysia’s Ng Eain Yow also secured a place in the quarter-finals. The world No.19 defeated Colombia’s Matias Knudsen 11-6, 11-5, 11-6 in a comfortable straight sets victory. Eain Yow will next face Mohamed Zakaria, Egypt’s rising star. The Malaysian has twice lost to the 18 year old Egyptian in their previous meetings.
With 4 players advancing, Malaysia continues to show strong representation in the tournament as they look to push further in the competition.
Sources: NST
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