S. SIVASANGARI is inching closer towards a career breakthrough after storming into the semi-finals of squash's Carol Weymuller Open in New York.
The World No 22 Malaysian sent world No 17 Hollie Naughton of Canada packing with an 11-5, 11-4, 11-4 win in the quarter-finals on Friday.
National No 1 Sivasangari was on the ball from the word go and duly took the first game 11-5. Fourth seed Hollie struggled to get into rhythm, allowing Sivasangari to prevail in just 23 minutes.
"Hollie is a player on the rise in the world rankings and she is very dangerous. I am pleased with the way I played today," said Sivasangari.
The win came as a huge boost for Sivasangari who has struggled to advance after receiving tough draws in her last few tournaments.
It is her second semi-final appearance of the year after making the last four of the Cincinnati Cup in February. The US-based Sivasangari will be hoping to make a breakthrough by reaching her first PSA World Tour event final.
Sivasangari, who is also expected to lead Malaysia's challenge at the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games, will face Egyptian Farida Mohamed in the semi-final.
World No 26 Farida upset home favourite and second seed Olivia Clyne 11-4, 11-4, 11-9. The other semi-final will be an all-Egyptian affair between top seed Rowan Elaraby and third seed Nadine Shahin.
Meanwhile the Squash Racquets Association of Malaysia (SRAM) are confident there is still time to work on improving their players for the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games.
This came after the Malaysian interest ended "prematurely" in the the Irish Open and the QSF No 2 in Doha.
At the Irish meet, women's national No 3 Rachel Arnold lost 12-10, 13-11, 8-11, 11-9 to England's world No 69 Grace Gear in the quarter-finals on Thursday. Chan Yiwen and Lai Wen Li bowed out in the second round.
In Qatar, national backup player Ong Sai Hung was the best of the Malaysian challengers, exiting in the semi-finals to top seed Asim Khan of Pakistan.
SRAM director Major (rtd) S. Maniam admitted that the results were not outstanding but they have identified a lot of areas to work on in preparation for the Commonwealth Games.
"I believe the performances have been mostly acceptable although it is not outstanding.
"I wasn't expecting sparkling performances because I hope to see that during the Commonwealth and Asian Games, and that's something we continue to work on.
"The recent tournaments have provided a lot of video data and we'll be able to work on analysing areas where we need improvements."
For now, the likes of Rachel, Aifa Azman and Sivasangari will continue to be abroad as they are slated to compete in the Tournament of Champions (TOC) in New York from May 1-7.
The trio, together with men's players Ng Eain Yow and Ivan Yuen will then head for the World Championships in Cairo (May 13-22), followed by the El Gouna International (May 27-June 3).
After that, all five players will return to Malaysia where they are due to undergo centralised training for the Birmingham Commonwealth Games from July 28-Aug 8.
