Doha: National squash coaching director Andrew Cross believes Malaysian squash ace S. Sivasangari is hitting top form at the right time ahead of the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games after pushing world number one Hania El Hammamy to the limit at the Qatar Classic yesterday. Sivasangari produced an encouraging display against the Egyptian in Doha, stretching Hania to five games before narrowly going down 11-8, 9-11, 13-15, 11-8, 10-12 in a closely fought encounter.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Cross said the performance underlined Sivasangari's steady progress against the world's best and provided a timely confidence boost ahead of her Asian Games campaign. 'Obviously, she's been getting closer every time she's played against the girls (players above her ranking). That's her first Platinum semifinal, although there was a nice walkover to get there...but she's definitely moving in the right direction,' he told reporters when met after the meeting with national players today.
Although Cross believes Sivasangari has a strong chance of winning gold, he cautioned that the Asian Games would present a different challenge, particularly with Japan's Satomi Watanabe enjoying home advantage and several other top players in contention. 'Obviously, next week's going to be tough. Playing in Japan, at the home of Satomi, won't be easy,' he said.
About other players' preparation, Cross said they have also shown encouraging form in training over the past few weeks, leaving him satisfied with their preparations before departing for Japan tomorrow. 'The players are in good form. I think they've been hitting really well in the last couple of weeks. I'm happy with where they're at preparation-wise,' he said.
Cross said Malaysia are targeting three gold medals in squash at the Games and believes the squad has the quality to achieve the target. 'I think the players can deliver that. They're in good shape,' he added.
Both Sivasangari and Ng Eain Yow are expected to be among the top seeds in their respective individual events, which also offer qualification spots for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.