Little time to bask for London champ

JAYA: She jumped for joy, fell to her knees, got up to shake hands with her rival – and fell to her knees again.

It was a moment to savour for Malaysia’s new squash sensation S. Sivasangari as she beat Egyptian world No 2 Hania El Hammamy in the London Classic final. But she won’t have much time to bask in the success.

She will have to be prepared to face the Egyptian legion led by world No. 1 Nour Elsherbini at the El Gouna International in less than three weeks – from April 19-26.

Sivasangari had beaten Elsherbini for the first time in the quarter-finals in London and followed that up with a win over world No. 4 Nele Gilis of Belgium in the last four before captured her first Professional Squash Association (PSA) gold level title by beating El Hammamy 11-9, 5-11, 13-11, 12-14, 11-8 in the final.

It was a remarkable effort as Sivasangari has never beaten the trio before.

However, Sivasangari has to be on her toes in the platinum level El Gouna even where El Sherbini and El Hammamy will be aiming for revenge on home soil.

A good run in El Gouna will help her to break into the top 10 in the world rankings for the first time but for now, there is the daunting task of facing the Egyptians in front of their hostile home crowd.

The 25-year-old has played in only one other gold level event – the Florida Open – in January. She was beaten in three games by El Sherbini.

This made her London Classic victory even sweeter she had beaten Elsherbini 11-9, 11-9 the best-of-three format in the last eight.

“The last time I played in a gold event (Florida Open), I lost in the quarters. This time, to even make it to the final was crazy. But to win the tournament? I feel pleased with the way I played all week,” said the New York-based Sivasangari.

“I don’t think I will be here without the help of my coaches David (Palmer) and Ajaz (Azmat) and mental trainer Jesse (Engelbrecht).”

Sivasangari was also felt flattered by the massive support from the Malaysian fans through the social media and said it would spur her to do even better.

“My social media has gone mad since I beat Elsherbini. The fans are so supportive. Keep supporting us and we will give our best,” she said.

Sivasangari will definitely need all the moral support when she plays in the gruelling El Gouna meet, with the Egyptians seeking revenge.

It will not end there. Cairo will also play host to the World Championships from May 9-18.