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The Sun
5 days ago
- Sport
- The Sun
'Better than ever' – Coach backs Sivasangari to shine at British Open
NATIONAL squash ace S. Sivasangari is poised to reach new heights at the upcoming British Open, with her coach Ajaz Azmat backing the world No. 8 to deliver a standout performance in Birmingham. The 26-year-old Malaysian, who created history by making it to the quarter-finals of the World Championships in Chicago earlier this month — a feat last achieved by Datuk Nicol David in 2017 — is brimming with confidence heading into the prestigious Diamond-level tournament. Sivasangari, who already clinched the Cincinnati Open title this year, has been training under the guidance of former world champion and three-time British Open winner Gregory Gaultier in Prague since April. 'Sivasangari's game has matured under Gaultier. I'm confident we'll see an even better version of her at the British Open,' Ajaz, who oversees her training in Malaysia, told New Straits Times. She starts her campaign with a first-round bye and is expected to cruise past her second-round match against either Scotland's world No. 53 Lisa Aitken or India's world No. 56 Anahat Singh. Her first major hurdle is anticipated in the third round against Japan's world No. 9 Satomi Watanabe, who, like Sivasangari, reached the World Championships quarter-finals and recently made the final of the Palm Hills Open in Giza. 'Satomi did well to reach the Palm Hills final and will be full of confidence going into Birmingham,' said Squash Racquets Association of Malaysia (SRAM) coaching director Andrew Cross. If Sivasangari overcomes Satomi, she is likely to face Egypt's world No. 5 Amina Orfi in the quarter-finals — a rematch of their Malaysia Cup clash in November, which Orfi won. Last year, Sivasangari exited the British Open in the second round after falling to Egyptian star Nour El Sherbini. In the men's draw, national No. 1 Ng Eain Yow, ranked 12th in the world, also received a first-round bye. He will face France's Victor Crouin (No. 14) in a tough second-round encounter. 'Matches against Crouin are always tight,' said Cross. 'He had to dig deep to beat him 20-18 in the fifth game at last year's Singapore Open.' Victory could set Eain Yow up for a quarter-final showdown with world No. 5 Joel Makin of Wales. Meanwhile, Rachel Arnold (No. 19), Aifa Azman (No. 39), and Ainaa Amani (No. 48) will also represent Malaysia in the women's main draw. Rachel will play Egypt's Kenzy Ayman (No. 38), Aifa meets Zeina Mickawy (No. 29), while Ainaa faces England's world No. 25 Sarah-Jane Perry in their opening matches.
New Straits Times
5 days ago
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Sivasangari will peak at British Open, says coach
KUALA LUMPUR: National coach Ajaz Azmat believes world No. 8 S. Sivasangari will hit peak form at the British Open, which gets underway in Birmingham on Saturday. The 26-year-old made headlines at the World Championships in Chicago earlier this month by reaching the quarter-finals - the first Malaysian to do so since Datuk Nicol David in 2017. Sivasangari, who bagged the Cincinnati Open title this year, has been steadily improving under the mentorship of former world champion and three-time British Open winner Gregory Gaultier in Prague since April. "Sivasangari's game has matured under Gaultier. I'm confident we'll see an even better version of her at the British Open," said Ajaz, who trains her when she is in Malaysia. Sivasangari will head into the Diamond-level British Open in high spirits, having earned a first-round bye. She is expected to breeze through her second-round match against world No. 53 Lisa Aitken of Scotland or India's world No. 56 Anahat Singh. The real test, however, starts in the third round, where she is likely to face world No. 9 Satomi Watanabe of Japan. Satomi, also a World Championships quarter-finalist, comes into the tournament in fine form, having reached the final of last week's Palm Hills Open in Giza, where she fell to world No. 1 Nouran Gohar of Egypt. Should Sivasangari overcome Satomi, she is expected to meet Egypt's world No. 5 Amina Orfi in the quarter-finals. Amina got the better of the Malaysian in their last meeting at the Malaysia Cup in November. In last year's British Open, Sivasangari crashed out in the second round, falling to Egyptian Nour El Sherbini. In the men's draw, world No. 12 Ng Eain Yow also received a first-round bye and will take on France's world No. 14 Victor Crouin in the second round. Eain Yow reached the quarter-finals at last year's British Open, where he lost to New Zealand's world No. 4 Paul Coll. Squash Racquets Association of Malaysia coaching director Andrew Cross believes Sivasangari's real challenge begins in the third round. "Satomi did well to reach the Palm Hills final and will be full of confidence going into Birmingham," he said. On Eain Yow's chances, Cross warned: "Matches against Crouin are always tight. "He had to dig deep to beat him 20-18 in the fifth game at last year's Singapore Open." If successful, Eain Yow could face Welsh world No. 5 Joel Makin in the quarter-finals. Meanwhile, three other Malaysians - Rachel Arnold (world No. 19), Aifa Azman (No. 39) and Ainaa Amani (No. 48) - will also be in action in Birmingham. Rachel and Aifa will take on Egyptians Kenzy Ayman (No. 38) and Zeina Mickawy (No. 29) respectively in the women's first round, while Ainaa is up against world No. 25 Sarah-Jane Perry of England.
Independent Singapore
03-05-2025
- Sport
- Independent Singapore
Coco Gauff hands Iga Świątek one of her toughest losses at the Madrid Open final
Coco Gauff easily defeated Iga Swiatek 6-1, 6-1 in just 64 minutes to reach the Madrid Open final. This has been one of Świątek's greatest losses in her career so far. The win was a first for Gauff on clay, and she will now battle against World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the finals. If Gauff wins, she will move up to world No. 2 in the rankings. In a social media post made by WTA, it shared: '👏 MADRID 👏 FINALIST 👏' Netizens flooded the comments section with praise for Coco Gauff's commanding performance. Many called it one of the best matches of her career, especially given the tough road she faced through Andreeva, Bencic, and Świątek. Fans admired her focus, power, and growth. One wrote, 'Phenomenal Coco 😍 She had the toughest draw… but she's played her absolute best tennis of her career… Bravo 👏🏾'. Others chimed in with reactions like 'What a match 🔥' and 'So proud of Coco!!!!!!!!! 🔥🔥🔥🔥'. Highlights of the match Świątek won the first game but then lost 11 in a row, making this experience one of the toughest matches of her sporting journey. Moreover, Gauff was determined and strong, losing only two points on her first serve and never facing a breakpoint. According to WTA, the only time Świątek has won fewer games in a clay court match was when she lost 6–1, 6–0 to Simona Halep in 2019. Gauff admitted in her post-match interview, 'I think I was aggressive and played with margin… Maybe, it wasn't (Świątek's) best level today, but I forced her into some awkward positions. I'm really happy with how I played.' She added, 'Especially when you're playing someone like Iga, you know at any moment she could come back and play great tennis. For me, it was just making sure my level stayed the same…I knew in that second set I had to raise (my level), especially because she could come back, so I'm really happy with how I played.' Świątek dominated Gauff before and won 11 of their 12 matches. Gauff, the 2023 US Open champion, has now beaten her three times in a row. Furthermore, Świątek has now lost six straight semifinals and has not made it to the finals since winning the 2024 French Open. Swiatek said: 'Today, for sure, everything kind of collapsed, both tennis-wise and I feel like I wasn't even in the right place with my feet before the shots… I wish I would have moved better because I think that would get me any opportunity to bounce back because this is usually what happens.' Gauff is chasing her third WTA 1000 title and has been right on track so far. She won her first two at the 2023 Cincinnati Open and the 2024 China Open, and now looks to add another in Madrid.
The Guardian
29-03-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
Aryna Sabalenka dominates Jessica Pegula to cruise to Miami Open title
Aryna Sabalenka further cemented her status as the best player in the world as she closed out a dominant fortnight with an imperious performance to win the Miami Open for the first time in her career with a 7-5, 6-2 win over the fourth seed Jessica Pegula. With another formidable victory, Sabalenka has now won 19 WTA titles, including eight at WTA 1000 level alongside her three grand slam titles. A reflection of her consistency, Sabalenka is the third WTA No 1 in history to reach the finals of the Australian Open, Indian Wells and the Miami Open in the same year. 'I'm speechless,' said Sabalenka. 'The last couple of finals were really tough, tight and close ones for me. Going into this one I was so focused on myself, I was super focused and I was playing point by point. Now it feels super special. I'm just speechless right now and super happy with the title, first one in Miami.' Over the past year, Sabalenka and Pegula have met in three of the five most significant hard court finals after their 2024 meetings at the US Open and Cincinnati Open. In both of those previous meetings, Sabalenka overpowered Pegula with her superior weight of shot despite considerable fight from the American. Sabalenka's dominant performances en-route to the final further positioned her as the clear favourite. She faced two other top 10 opponents in the sixth seed Jasmine Paolini and the ninth seed Zheng Qinwen, plus the defending champion Danielle Collins, yet she did not drop a set in her six matches. After rain had delayed the start of play by an hour, the final began with a series of breaks as the initiative swung sharply between both players early on. It was Sabalenka who settled down in the second half of the opening set, first finding her rhythm on serve and then perfectly timing her best return game of the match. Up 6-5, Sabalenka picked Pegula's serve apart, taking the set by breaking to love. 'I'm super happy that I was there,' she said. 'I was fighting no matter what.' As has been the case in most of their recent encounters, Pegula simply does not possess the variety of shot, defensive skills or comparable weight of shot to put this focused, determined version of Sabalenka under sustained pressure and she had no answer as the world No 1 took control of the second set. Sign up to The Recap The best of our sports journalism from the past seven days and a heads-up on the weekend's action after newsletter promotion At the same time, Sabalenka also showed off the added dimensions to her own game, also mixing up the trajectory of her shots and using her topspin serve to push Pegula back. Once a one-dimensional player determined to attack every last ball, Sabalenka has evolved into an intelligent, tenacious superstar who has become so difficult to beat. She marched through the second set to seal yet another exceptional victory.
The Guardian
25-03-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
Persistence pays off for Emma Raducanu with Miami hot streak
Jessica Pegula began her professional tennis journey with a head start on most of her peers. In a sport as prohibitively expensive as elite tennis, her family wealth – her billionaire parents own several sports franchises, including the NFL's Buffalo Bills – afforded her unfettered access to equipment and knowledge. Her career, however, has come to signify something else altogether. At the age of 22, Pegula was still fluttering in and out of the top 150, stuck on the lower rungs of the ITF circuit and simply trying to figure things out. Pegula did not break into the top 100 until a couple of weeks before her 25th birthday in February 2019 and even then it seemed as if she was light years away from ever becoming a top player. She failed countless times before she began to soar. Today, Pegula has established herself as a veteran top 10 player and one of the most reliable members of the sport's elite. Her success was not the result of a dramatic overnight shift – she built her confidence and convictions through her daily work and resilience over a significant period of time. On Wednesday in Miami, Pegula will face Emma Raducanu in what is now undoubtedly the best tournament of Raducanu's career outside her fateful US Open title run in 2021. After defeating one top-10 American player in Emma Navarro, Raducanu now has the opportunity to measure herself against one of the best in the world in her first WTA 1000 quarter-final. Although she remains a clear underdog, the Briton should not be afraid. Their two previous matches have both been tight. Pegula won their first and only hard-court meeting in two tough sets at the Cincinnati Open in 2022, but last summer Raducanu defeated Pegula in three gruelling sets on home soil in Eastbourne to finally clinch her first ever top-10 win. The pair share some similarities. Both possess smooth, compact strokes off each wing, effortless two-handed backhands and excellent timing, which they use to take the ball early and take time away from their opponent. Both relish smothering rivals with vicious early service returns. Only one of them, however, has come close to directing those assets into consistent winning tennis over a long period. Pegula particularly thrives in fast conditions and few players are as adept at deflecting the power generated by her foes. One of the biggest challenges for Raducanu will be to find the right balance between imposing herself by playing offensive tennis and also keeping Pegula uncomfortable by mixing up the speed and trajectory of her ball. This week, the 22-year-old has done a great job of frustrating opponents with her backhand slice and defence, but Pegula is a level above them all. Alongside improvements to her serve, forehand and movement, Raducanu's three months of work with her new fitness coach, Yutaka Nakamura, the one person who has accompanied her throughout the year, appear to be paying off. She looks like a considerably stronger and more durable athlete. Sign up to The Recap The best of our sports journalism from the past seven days and a heads-up on the weekend's action after newsletter promotion Good fortune has certainly played a role in this run, with Amanda Anisimova and McCartney Kessler struggling against her with physical issues in consecutive matches. For so long, Raducanu was always the player breaking down on the court. She now looks physically prepared for all possibilities and she recovered well from a gruelling, attritional second-round win over Navarro. Against those struggling opponents, Raducanu made her own luck by refusing to allow them back into the match. As she faces off against Pegula, there are also lessons that Raducanu, at 22 years old, can learn from her. Successful tennis careers are a marathon and each is completely different. Some players fulfil their potential at a young age but others must reckon with a far longer journey. While the past three and a half years have at times been brutal for Raducanu, mere match wins often hard to come by, players who work hard each day will always have opportunities to turn their fortunes around. With that in mind, it is notable that Raducanu has competed more frequently this year than ever before. Even as she struggled through numerous bitter losses in recent months, to her credit she kept on rolling with the punches and showing up. This week at least, she is finally landing some of her own.
