KUALA LUMPUR: A silver medal finish at the Asian Individual Squash Championships may not seem like a great achievement, but for S. Sivasangari, it means the world to her.
Just a year ago, the 24-year-old was involved in a horrific road accident that could have ended her promising career.
It did set her back for several months and it wasn't until February when she made a return to competitive action.
The extended period by the sidelines has made her rusty as the women's competition on the Professional Squash Association (PSA) Tour becomes more and more competitive over time.
From a career high of No. 16 in the world rankings, Sivasangari has slipped to No. 49 as she struggled to maintain her consistency at the elite level.
However, at the Asian meet in Hong Kong last week, the Kedahan finally found her form and consistency throughout the week as she made a storming run to the final.
Along the way, she pulled off a gritty win over compatriot and world No. 29 Aifa Azman before beating a formidable Satomi Watanabe of Japan in the semi-finals.
The final, however, proved one step too far for Sivasangari as she went down 11-6, 9-11, 14-12, 3-11, 11-1 to world No. 34 Chan Sin Yuk of Hong Kong.
But Sivasangari believes she has made great strides since her comeback, and that the best is still to come.
"Honestly, I don't think I played too well in the final as I was struggling to find the corners and I was not in my game at all," admitted Sivasangari.
"It was frustrating on the day because while Sin Yuk did play well, a large factor was also due to me not playing so well.
"But there's a lot of positives for me to take home and look forward to, leading up to the Asian Games (in Hangzhou)."
Sivasangari, who graduated in May, will be back in the United States where she continues training under former world No. 1 David Palmer at Cornell University, leading up to the Asian Games.
