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Egyptian Amina stands between Sivasangari and Malaysia Cup title

KUALA LUMPUR: S. Sivasangari will face three-time world junior champion Amina Orfi in the women's US$64,000 Malaysia Cup final at the Curve Mall in Petaling Jaya tomorrow.

World No. 9 Sivasangari delivered a flawless performance, dismantling world No. 28 Georgia Adderley 11-3, 11-8, 11-6 in just 31 minutes in the semi-finals.

Second seed Amina, ranked world No. 10, overcame third seed Rachel Arnold in a tighter contest, winning 12-10, 11-9, 11-6 in 45 minutes to secure her spot in the final.

The top-seeded Sivasangari and Amina have faced off twice before.

The Malaysian won in straight sets to clinch last year's Hong Kong Football Club Open title, but the Egyptian turned the tables in February, defeating her in the second round of the Squash On Fire tournament in Washington.

On her semi-final win today, Sivasangari said: "I had the perfect game plan and executed it well.

"There's always pressure, and every match is different. You won't always play your best squash, but you also won't always play your worst.

"Today, I was effective, and I'm pleased with my progress."

Looking ahead to tomorrow's showdown, Sivasangari added: "Amina recently broke into the top 10 and is a confident player.

"However, I'll focus on my own game and aim to play better than I did today. I feel confident, especially with the support of the home crowd."

Rachel, meanwhile, was disappointed for not reaching the final.

"Amina is young and hungry for success. She played really well today," said Rachel.

Results

(Malaysians unless stated)

Men's semi-finals: Youssef Soliman (Egy) bt Youssef Ibrahim (Egy) 11-8, 8-11, 11-9, 8-11, 11-6; Ng Eain Yow (Mas) bt Abhay Singh (Ind) 11-5, 11-4, 7-11, 11-4.

Women's semi-finals: S. Sivasangari bt Georgia Adderley (Sco) 11-3, 11-8, 11-6; Amina Orfi (Egy) bt Rachel Arnold 12-10, 11-9, 11-6.

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