KUALA LUMPUR: Asian champion S. Sivasangari looks set to win the China Open in Shanghai on Nov 17-22 after the withdrawal of two top-ranked players.
World No. 1 and world champion Amina Orfi and world No. 2 Hania El Hammamy, both Egyptian, were forced to pull out from the Gold-level tournament due to injuries.
The 19-year-old Orfi was the top seed at the China Open, having won four tournaments in a row.
World No. 3 and eight-time world champion Nour El Sherbini of Egypt will not compete in the China Open, which means world No. 4 Sivasangari, who has been training under coach Gregory Gaultier of France in Prague since last year, is now the top seed.
Barring any upset, the Malaysian is expected to face world No. 7 and second seed Satomi Watanabe of Japan in the final.
The 27-year-old Sivasangari, who retained the Asian Games title to qualify for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, received a bye in the first round and will face either Egyptian Malak Khafagy or Haya Ali in the second round.
In the quarter-finals, Sivasangari is expected to take on world No. 16 Farida Mohamed of Egypt and if she reaches the semi-finals, her opponent is likely to be world No. 9 and third seed Tinne Gilis of Belgium.
The other Malaysians in the draw are the Azman sisters, world No. 19 Aifa and world No. 26 Aira.
Asian champion and world No. 17 Ng Eain Yow will also feature in the men’s competition.
“Sivasangari is playing really well at the moment, so she will be aiming to win the event. And she will take one match at a time,” said Squash Racquets Association of Malaysia (SRAM) coaching director Andrew Cross.
“She won’t be changing anything drastically. She will still be approaching the event in the same way.”