End of Sivasangari’s brave run in world meet
WOMEN’S national No 1 S. Sivasangari’s hopes of a World Championship breakthrough fell short after going down in the third round to Egyptian Nour El Tayeb in Cairo on Wednesday.
The world No 20 was bidding to reach the quarter-finals for the first time but found former world No 3 Nour too hot to handle and lost 11-5, 4-11, 11-5, 13-11.
Sivasangari, who beat her bogeyman, Nadine Shahin of Egypt, in the second round, was on the upswing following her runner-up finish at the Carol Weymuller Open in New York last month.
However Nour, who came out of retirement earlier this year, showed why she is still one of the best players in the world.
A determined Sivasangari came firing back to level proceeding in the second game after losing the first. Nour stepped up the pace to take the third game and won the crucial points in the fourth to prevail in 42 minutes.
She went on to meet compatriot and world No 3 Hania El Hammamy for a place in the semifinals.
For Sivasangari, there is no shame in defeat as the Kedahborn has proved that she can compete with world’s elite on a regular basis.
“I was a little too flat on court today. I couldn’t really hit my targets, which was frustrating,” said
Sivasangari.
“I did well in some parts of the game, but there was just an overall lack of consistency which led to my loss.
“It’s very frustrating for me because I’m so close to the top girls but not really making it through.
“I need to work on the mental side of my game and be more
patient on court,” said Sivasangari, who will next compete in the El Gouna International from May 27 to June 3.