National squash player S. Sivasangari
PETALING JAYA: It is tuning about to be a brilliant 2023-2024 season for world No. 10 S. Sivansangari as she has been nominated as one of the five players for Professional Squash Association (PSA) women’s Player of the Year award.
The fact that Sivasangari has been named among the heavyweights – the top three Egyptian trio of Nour ElSherbini, Nouran Gohar and Hania El Hammamy – and world No. 4 Olivia Weaver of the United States speaks about the significant breakthrough she has achieved on the PSA world tour this season.
Her exploits started in December last year when she secured the PSA bronze level Hong Kong Football Club Open.
However, her finest moment arrived at the London Classic at the Alexandra Palace on April 1 where she defeated El Hammamy to win her first PSA gold level title.
Sungai Petani-born Sivasangari had also become the first Malaysian since squash legend Datuk Nicol David to win a PSA gold level crown, which the latter achieved in 2015.
It was even more remarkable when she had also beaten ElSherbini and current world No. 5 Nele Gilis of Belgium, who was ranked No. 4 at that time, at the London Classic.
It just got better for Sivasangari as the New York-based player became only the third Malaysian to reach the top 10 in the world rankings after she secured the world No. 10 spot on Monday (May 20).
Former world No. 1 Nicol and Low Wee Wern, who was ranked as high as world No. 5 during her career, were the other Malaysian women to break into the top 10.
The votings for the award close on May 27 while the winner will be announced at the PSA Awards dinner at The Book Rotunda in Birmingham on June 8.
