SIVASANGARI TURNS ON THE STYLE TO STORM INTO GRASSHOPPER CUP SEMIS

KUALA LUMPUR, April 26 (Bernama) -- Top national woman squash player and world number 11 S. Sivasangari produced a scintillating performance to send Egyptian Nada Abbas packing 11-6, 11-3 and storm into the semi-finals of the Grasshopper Cup 2025 in Zurich, Switzerland on Friday.

The third-seeded Sivasangari took just 15 minutes to show the eighth-seeded Nada, also the world number 15, the exit in the last eight at the all-glass court inside the Zurich Hauptbahnhof, which is the largest railway station in Switzerland.

“I think inside I was a bit nervous, but I just tried to take the ball early and play my game. I didn’t want to follow her way of playing and, instead, focused on my tactics, my gameplan... and it worked well today,” Sivasangari was quoted as saying on the Professional Squash Association (PSA) official website.

The Kedahan can expect a sterner test in the last four as she will be up against second seed Tinne Gilis after the Beiglain downed Egypt’s Salma Hany 11-9, 11-8 in the quarter-finals.

Meanwhile, Malaysians Ng Eain Yow and Rachel Arnold continued their fine run in the men’s and women’s events respectively when they advanced to the last four of the Squash On Fire Open 2025 at Washington DC, the United States of America, on Friday.

The second-seeded Eain Yow had to come from behind to beat Karim El Hammamy from Egypt 5-11, 11-8, 11-3, 11-3 at the Squash On Fire court, which is located atop a fire station in the heart of Washington DC.

In the semi-finals, Eain Yow will meet unseeded Kareem El Torkey after the Egyptian stunned sixth seed Velavan Senthilkumar of India 7-11, 11-7, 9-11, 11-4, 13-11.

Meanwhile, fourth-seeded Rachel had no problems brushing aside eighth-seeded Nadine Shahin of Egypt 11-6, 11-7, 11-7 to set up a semi-final date against another Egyptian, the top-seeded Rowan Elaraby.

The Egyptian had earlier disposed of her compatriot Salma Eltayeb 11-6, 11-5, 11-8.

-- BERNAMA