KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s squash player S. Sivasangari missed out on a place in the Egypt Open 2026 final after losing to defending champion Hania El Hammamy in the semi-finals in Giza on Thursday.
Despite the defeat, the 27-year-old put up a strong fight against the top seed and home favourite in an intense five-game encounter lasting 86 minutes at the glass court in front of the Great Pyramid of Giza.
El Hammamy, ranked second in the world, eventually secured a 6-11, 12-10, 21-10, 0-11, 12-10 victory over Sivasangari, who is ranked fifth globally.
The result extended the Egyptian’s head-to-head advantage over the Malaysian to 11-2.
The 26-year-old is now one win away from claiming her third Egypt Open title. She will face compatriot and world number one Amina Orfi in the final today, marking their fifth meeting this year.
Orfi, 19, booked her place in the title decider after recovering from a game down to defeat fellow Egyptian Nouran Gohar 9-11, 11-8, 12-10, 11-6 in a 71-minute semi-final encounter.
-AWANI
