Brisbane: The Squash Racket Association of Malaysia (SRAM) coaching director Andrew Cross praised Malaysian squash players for their resilience and improvement during their campaign at the Australian Open 2025, despite failing to reach the finals in Brisbane yesterday.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Cross noted the marked improvement of Sivasangari, who lost 11-9, 11-6, 11-8 to Rowan Elaraby of Egypt in the quarter-finals of the New Zealand Open in Christchurch, yet performed better in the Australian Open.

Cross highlighted that Sivasangari played well against Rowan in Brisbane. Although she lost 0-3 the previous week in New Zealand, her performance in Brisbane showed improvement. He remarked on the progress she made, especially in her recent match, which was a 65-minute battle where she lost 9-11, 6-11, 11-7, 11-6, 5-11 to the fourth-seeded Rowan at the South Bank Piazza.

In addition, Cross commented on Aifa Azman, who made her first competitive appearance of the year after recovering from a quadriceps injury sustained in January. Despite being hindered by a blister during her match, her return was positive. She faced a heavy 0-11, 4-11, 5-11 defeat to second seed Tinne Gilis of Belgium in just 23 minutes.

In the men’s category, national player and fifth seed Ng Eain Yow retired during the deciding game against Egypt’s Mohamad Zakaria while trailing 2-6 due to a cramp. Cross reassured that Eain Yow did not suffer any serious injuries, acknowledging the difficulty of the match conditions.