Bouquets from Kennedy
Sivasangari earns praises and respect of Georgina for giving her helluva fight
RESULTS
Women’s semi-finals: Georgina Kennedy (Eng) bt S. Sivasangari 13-11, 11-8, 12-14, 6-11, 11-9; Nour El Tayeb (Egy) bt Olivia Weaver (US) 11-4, 11-6, 11-8.
PETALING JAYA: Top Malaysian pro S. Sivasangari’s full-throttle bid to secure her first final of the year was blocked by an equally determined world No. 6 Georgina Kennedy of England at the Squash in the Land tournament in Cleveland on Saturday.
Sivasangari came back from two sets down to challenge the in-form Kennedy but the Englishwoman was solid in the fifth set to clinch a 13-11, 11-8, 12-14, 6-11, 11-9 win in the semi-final clash that lasted 64 minutes.
“So frustrating to not get the win tonight after being so close again,” tweeted Sivasangari.
World No. 16 Sivasangari was looking forward to her first final and also avenge another five-set defeat to Kennedy in the Windy City Open third round in Cleveland.
After overcoming Sivasangari at the Windy City, Kennedy went on to upset world No. 4 Nele Gilis of Belgium before losing to the world No. 1 Nour El Sherbini of Egypt in the semi-finals and she managed to maintained her form in Cleveland.
However, the top seeded Kennedy was relieved to have snatched victory as she felt that the fourth-seeded Malaysian could have easily been on the winning side.
“That was ridiculously tough. I said to Siva at the end that it was one of those
matches that no one deserved to lose,” Kennedy heaped praise on the Malaysian after the match.
“I’m so relieved and lucky I managed to get over the finish line. When I was 2-0 up, I didn’t feel comfortable – I had a feeling in the back of my head that she was going to push for a comeback.
“I was trying to pretend to myself that I was positive but those thoughts were in the back of my head.
“In the fifth I said I need to up the intensity, fight for every point and take initiative because if I don’t she will. I’m relieved and credit to her – it could have been me or her standing here.”
Prior to the Windy City Open, Sivasangari had advanced to the quarter-finals of the Florida Open and Gaynor Cup in Cincinnati this year.
Despite her semi-final defeat, Sivasangari’s world ranking should see gradual improvement next week.
But most importantly, she will continue to secure her first final in the Professional Squash Association (PSA) tour when she competes in the gold tier London Classic from March 20-24.