Sivasangari goes down fighting in Egyptian Open semis

National squash player S Sivasangari pushed the home favourite and top seed Hania El Hammamy to the limit in an 86-minute, five-game thriller. (EPA Images pic) KUALA LUMPUR: National squash player S Sivasangari’s bid to reach the Egyptian Open 2026 final was ended by defending champion Hania El Hammamy in the semi-finals in Giza on Thursday.

Despite the defeat, the 27-year-old Sivasangari pushed the home favourite and top seed to the limit in an 86-minute, five-game thriller before going down 11-6, 10-12, 21-10, 0-11, 10-12 on the glass court in front of the Great Pyramid of Giza.

The result extended world No 2 Hania’s head-to-head advantage over world No 5 Sivasangari to 11-2.

The 26-year-old Egyptian is now one win away from claiming her third Egyptian Open title. She will face compatriot and world No 1 Amina Orfi in the final later today, marking their fifth meeting this year.

The 19-year-old Amina booked her place in the final after recovering from a game down to overcome compatriot Nouran Gohar 9-11, 11-8, 12-10, 11-6 in a 71-minute semi-final clash.