KUALA LUMPUR: Cleveland Squash Championship defending champion, Georgina Kennedy of England conceded the great prowess of national women’s singles player, S.Sivasangari after a hard-fought victory over the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games gold medalist in the semi-final of the 2024 Cleveland Squash Championship yesterday.
Kennedy said she had to raise the level of intensity in the deciding match by ensuring that all the shots were at their best because she was confident that if the opportunity was not used well, Sivasangari would not show ‘mercy’ in the set.
“That was ridiculously tough, I said to Sivasangari at the end that it was one of those matches that no one deserved to lose.
“I am so relieved and lucky I managed to get over the finish line. When I was 2-0 up I didn’t feel comfortable – I had a feeling in the back of my head that she was going to push for a comeback, which is not what you want to hear yourself say. I was trying to pretend to myself that I was positive but those thoughts were in the back of my head,“ she said in a statement from the Professional Squash Association (PSA) today.
Sivasangari had previously started two sets with a left step when she lost 11-13 and 8-11, but came back to seize the next two sets with 14-12 and 11-6 before having to accept the greatness of the world’s sixth player with a 9-11 defeat in the deciding set in Cleveland, USA.
“So frustrating to not get the win tonight after being so close again,“ Sivasangari said via the X page today.
Georgina will next meet second seed Nour El Tayeb of Egypt in today’s final, after she beat USA’s Olivia Weaver in the other semi-final yesterday. - Bernama
