{
  "id": 7569138,
  "title": "Sivasangari also advances in Doha after Rachel's heroics",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/15/sivasangari-also-advances-in-doha-after-rachels-heroics",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-15T14:34:54.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "New Straits Times",
    "slug": "new-straits-times",
    "url": "https://www.nst.com.my/sports/racquet-sports/2026/09/1533587/sivasangari-also-advances-doha-after-rachels-heroics"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Sivasangari, a Malaysian table tennis player, advanced to the semi-finals of the Qatar Classic tournament in Doha on Tuesday without much difficulty. In contrast, her compatriot Rachel Arnold had to overcome an eight-time world champion to reach the next round. Sivasangari faced an opponent, Tinne Gilis, who withdrew from the match due to a knee injury sustained earlier in the tournament against India's Anahat Singh. This is Sivasangari's first appearance in a Platinum-level tournament's semi-finals on the international circuit. She will now face Egypt's world No. 1 tennis player, Hania El Hammamy, who also received a walkover from her injured teammate, Nouran Gohar. National coach Ajaz Azmat expressed confidence in Sivasangari's ability to challenge Hania, noting their previous meeting in the PSA Tour Finals in Paris where Hania emerged victorious. Sivasangari's national teammate, Rachel, who is currently ranked world No. 25, had a more challenging match, defeating Egypt's eight-time world champion, Nour El Sherbini, in the second round of the tournament. Rachel will advance to the quarter-finals, where she will face England's world No. 12 Jasmine Hutton. For the Malaysian team, these impressive performances by Sivasangari and Rachel suggest they are poised for a successful run at the upcoming Achi-Nagoya Asian Games, which commence on Saturday.",
  "summary": "KUALA LUMPUR: While her compatriot Rachel Arnold had to beat an eight-time world champion to reach the next round, S. Sivasangari advanced to the Qatar Classic semi-finals in Doha without much fanfare on Tuesday.",
  "key_points": [
    "Sivasangari advances to Doha semi-finals without difficulty",
    "Rachel Arnold beats world champion Nour El Sherbini",
    "Sivasangari to face Hania El Hammamy, ranked No. 1"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}