KUALA LUMPUR – Six months after being involved in a major car accident that hospitalised her for over a month, national squash player S. Sivasangari has been performing well since she returned to action in January.
The 24-year-old was involved in a major car accident in June last year, in which she was a passenger in a car that rear-ended a lorry on the Maju Expressway, ending her hopes of representing Malaysia at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
After going through rehabilitation and physiotherapy, Sivasangari returned to Cornell University in New York to play against University of Pennsylvania, which they won 6-3 in the Ivy Squash League on January 13.
Undergoing her final semester in communications at the university in Ithaca, Sivasangari is expected to graduate in May.
Squash Racquets Association of Malaysia director S. Maniam said Sivasangari is on the right track in her preparations to lead the country’s charge at the Hangzhou Asian Games in September.
“It is tough after returning from a serious accident like that, but she has been doing well since coming back to the court and I am happy to see her progress.
“She has done well in the couple of tournaments she has competed in professionally, even making it to the quarter-finals of the Canadian Open,” he told The Vibes.
Sivasangari’s return to the professional scene came at the 2023 Squash On Fire Open in February, where she was knocked out in the second round by Egypt’s Amina Orfi in the Professional Squash Association World Tour Bronze event.
Despite her loss to the 15-year-old, Maniam said the world No. 28 players’ performance was an indication of what was in store from the Kedah-born player.
This was followed with a decent run in the Canadian Open on March 28 where she fell in the quarterfinals to world number 13 American Olivia Clyne.
“Even though she lost 3-2, to have almost beat a player of higher rank is something good.
“I will be looking forward to watching her compete at the British Open next week,” he said.
Sivasangari will take on Hong Kong’s Chan Sin Yuk in the opening round of the prestigious tournament scheduled to take place from April 9 to 16 in Birmingham.
Following that, the player from Sg Petani will don the Malaysian colours in the Asian Individual Championships in Hong Kong from June 6 to 10.
As for her injuries, Maniam said there is still discomfort in the Sivasangari’s neck, but nothing else in her fitness is a cause for concern.
“The stiffness in the neck is always there, I’m hoping that it will slowly fade away over a period of time.
“But besides that, she is back to normal, there is nothing to worry about,” he said.
Sivasangari was recently named the recipient of the 2023 Betty Richey Award by the College Squash Association in the United States.
Being the first Cornellian player to receive the award, and along with being a three-time national finalist, Sivasangari was also unanimously selected as the Ivy League Player of The Year for the last two seasons. – The Vibes, April 3, 2023
