It’s been tough going for Sivasangari Subramaniam since people began to hail her as Malaysia’s new squash queen from earlier this year.
The 25-year-old earned her spurs by winning the singles and team golds at the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023.
At the London Squash Classic in April this year, she beat three top-five players – Nour El Sherbini, Nele Coll and Hania El Hammamy – en route to claiming the title, becoming the first Malaysian since 2015 to win a gold-level or higher Professional Squash Association Tour event.
A month later, she cracked the top 10 in the world rankings, making her the first Malaysian to do so since former world No. 1 Nicol David retired in 2019.
But two major losses over a week last month has somewhat derailed her plans to crack the world top five.
On Nov 17, she lost to Egyptian teen prodigy Amina Orfi 8-11, 11-9, 12-10, 8-11, 11-6 in the Malaysia Squash Cup final. Then, on Nov 23, she lost to the same player in the semi-final of the Singapore Squash Open.
“Of course, there’s a lot of pressure playing top level squash,” Sivasangari told tabla! “Then there’s added pressure playing at home – I just try not to think too much about it.”
Sivasangari, who started playing squash at age eight, felt the matches against Orfi could have gone either way.
“I’m ranked ninth in the world. she’s tenth. So, obviously, I’m the favourite to win,” said Sivasangari. “But those were close matches. I didn’t get the win at home, but I’m proud of the way I handled it. Even making it to the final was a big thing as there were several top players involved.”
The Malaysian believes there is nothing wrong with the way she is playing. It’s just that on any given day, any player in the top 10 can emerge the winner. For example, she pointed to the Singapore Open final, where Orfi beat world No. 3 Hania 9-11, 11-9, 11-13, 11-1, 11-9.
“There are obviously small details I need to change, but not really my technique,” said Sivasangari. “I have the skills. It’s just the game plan that I need to tweak.
“It’s always a learning curve, even if you’re one of the best in squash. I can learn from every match.”
Sivasangari, who is based in the United States, still takes tips from David Palmer, her coach at Cornell University in New York from where she graduated.
When she’s home, she trains under Malaysia’s head coach Ajaz Azmat.
“I also have a psychologist and performance trainer,” said Sivasangari. “So, there’s a team behind me that’s helping make me a better player.”
Sivasangari, who was born in Sungai Petani, Kedah, started playing squash under the influence of her older brother. “We used to do everything together,” she said. “But after high school, he went to study in London and started working. Squash soon became recreational for him.”
Her family, especially parents Subramaniam Kaniappan and Valli Nagappan, played a key role in her recovery when she was involved in a life-threatening car crash near Kuala Lumpur in 2022. Despite life-saving surgery, her head, spine and neck were badly injured and doctors feared she might never walk again.
“When I was in hospital, I used to worry about what my squash future would look like,” she said. “Over a couple of months, I had two surgeries, and then I was in rehab for a couple of months. I had to get back mobilisation on my neck, which was fractured.
“It was tough. I fully recovered after only a year or so.”
Sivasangari said her Hindu faith helped her overcome the doubts.
“I believe in God and pray a lot,” she said. “I do come from a very religious family; my dad goes to India almost every year to do prayers. Whenever I get the time, I go to temples.”
Having broken into the top 10, Sivasangari knows that the hardest part now is to rise even higher. “There’s more pressure playing the lower rank players now. If I get upset about losing, I can’t move on. So I’m trying to get into the mentality that every tournament is teaching me something.”
Her sights are on the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, where squash will make its debut at the quadrennial Games.
She also wants to make it clear that comparisons with eight-time world champion Nicol are futile.
“Nicole is a legend of the game. She’s achieved a lot in her career. I don’t think I would want to be compared with her,” said Sivasangari. “Everyone’s unique in their own way. Making comparisons will only make you doubt yourself even more.”
