No Deepavali cheer for Sivasangari after US Open defeat

S. Sivasangari, the world No. 4, experienced a deeply disappointing Deepavali after her US Open campaign came to an end in a quarter-final loss to Egypt's world champion Amina Orfi on Wednesday. The 27-year-old had been eagerly anticipating a win over Orfi, but was overwhelmed 11-8, 11-1, 11-8 in just 43 minutes at the Philadelphia venue.

This marked Sivasangari's ninth defeat to Orfi in their 12 previous encounters. Orfi, who has triumphed in the London Classic, Qatar Classic, and Egyptian Open this year, will face either Nour El Sherbini or American Amanda Sobhy in the semi-finals tomorrow. Sivasangari's coach, Andrew Cross of the Squash Racquets Association of Malaysia, acknowledged that his protégé had given her best effort, but conceded that Orfi simply outperformed her.

Despite her recent victory at the Silicon Valley Open, Sivasangari will now shift her focus towards the China Open from November 17-22. Orfi revealed that she knew the match would be a formidable challenge, given her previous defeats to Sivasangari this year. She had prepared diligently, aware that Sivasangari would be confident heading into the match, particularly following her qualification as the first woman in squash to compete in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Orfi expressed her satisfaction with her game plan, stating that she is content with the outcome.