Sivasangari sweeps Rachel Arnold to set up Asian Games final rematch with Anahat in Silicon Valley

Sivasangari Subramaniam is into the semi-finals of the Silicon Valley Open in California after beating Malaysian team-mate Rachel Arnold 11-7, 11-5, 11-6 in 24 minutes. The world No. 4 now plays India's Anahat Singh in a rematch of last month's Asian Games final. Their semi-final is scheduled for 5.30pm on Friday in Redwood City, which is 8.30am on Saturday in Malaysia.

Two Malaysian derbies in two rounds

Sivasangari, seeded third, has had to beat two compatriots to get this far. In the second round she beat Aifa Azman 3-2. Against Rachel in the quarter-finals she was much quicker. She led from start to finish and won in straight games, finishing the match in 24 minutes, according to The Star.

Rachel is ranked 22nd in the world, and the gap showed. Bernama reported that it was Sivasangari's sixth straight win over Rachel, going back to a Malaysian Tour Squash X event in 2015. Rachel had done well to reach the last eight. She beat fifth seed Amanda Sobhy of the United States in the second round.

Anahat Singh: a giant-killer this week

Anahat, ranked 15th in the world, has beaten two seeds at the Squash Zone this week. In the second round she knocked out top seed Nour ElSherbini of Egypt. In the quarter-finals she came from behind twice to beat sixth seed Salma Hany 4-11, 11-8, 4-11, 11-2, 11-5.

Sivasangari will start as favourite. She beat Anahat 11-4, 11-4, 11-7 in last month's Asian Games final in Aichi-Nagoya to keep her women's singles gold, and The Star reports that she has also won both of their previous meetings on the PSA Tour. Still, Anahat beat the world's top-ranked player only a few days ago, so Sivasangari cannot take this match lightly.

The rest of the draw

In the other women's semi-final, Marina Stefanoni, the seventh seed from the United States, plays Egypt's Farida Mohamed, the eighth seed. Farida beat second seed Olivia Weaver 3-0 in the quarter-finals, and Stefanoni beat Ibrahim 3-0. The women's final is scheduled for 7pm on Saturday local time, which is 10am on Sunday in Malaysia.

In the men's draw, top seed Diego Elias of Peru plays France's Victor Crouin, and Egypt's Mohamad Zakaria plays Mohamed ElShorbagy. The Silicon Valley Open is a PSA Gold event. Its women's and men's draws each have prize money of US$143,500.

Key takeaways

• Sivasangari Subramaniam beat Rachel Arnold 11-7, 11-5, 11-6 in 24 minutes to reach the Silicon Valley Open semi-finals.
• She had beaten another Malaysian, Aifa Azman, 3-2 in the second round.
• Her semi-final against India's Anahat Singh is at 8.30am on Saturday, Malaysia time, and is a rematch of the Asian Games final.
• Anahat has beaten top seed Nour ElSherbini and sixth seed Salma Hany this week.
• The women's final is at 10am on Sunday, Malaysia time.

FAQ

What time is Sivasangari's Silicon Valley Open semi-final in Malaysia? The match against Anahat Singh is scheduled for 5.30pm on Friday in Redwood City, California. That is 8.30am on Saturday 24 October in Malaysia.

What is Sivasangari's record against Anahat Singh? Sivasangari beat Anahat 11-4, 11-4, 11-7 in the Asian Games final last month. Malaysian media also report that she leads their PSA Tour head-to-head 2-0.

How did the other Malaysians do at the Silicon Valley Open? Aifa Azman lost 3-2 to Sivasangari in the second round. Rachel Arnold beat fifth seed Amanda Sobhy before losing to Sivasangari in the quarter-finals.

Sources: Bernama, The Star, PSA Squash Tour