Malaysia’s Sivasangari Subramaniam plays down comparisons with squash legend Nicol David

SINGAPORE – Nicol David is a name that Malaysian squash player Sivasangari Subramaniam cannot get away from.

The comparisons between Sivasangari and her compatriot David, a legend in the sport, have only grown since the former clinched the singles and team golds

at the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023,

with people back home hailing her as Malaysia’s next squash ace.

It is not hard to see why from her achievements in the past year. At the London Squash Classic, the seventh seed 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 David retired in 2019.

However, the 25-year-old wants to forge her own path, saying: “We’re both unique people, she’s obviously a legend of the game.

“I’m still growing, trying to reach whatever she’s done for Malaysia but everyone has a different path and I’m on my own path and I just want to focus on myself.”

The world No. 9 was speaking at a press conference at Tanglin Club on Nov 18 ahead of the Vitagen Singapore Squash Open. The gold-level tournament will take place at the OCBC Arena from Nov 19 to 24.

The Malaysian fourth seed will get her tournament under way on Nov 21, after receiving a first-round bye.

Since bouncing back from a car accident that left her with facial fractures and a C1 vertebra injury in 2022, Sivasangari has enjoyed several breakthroughs and has her sights set on making the 2028 Olympics, where squash will be making its debut at the quadrennial Games.

She said: “For me, the long-term goal is to get to the Olympics and the short-term (goal) is to learn as much as I can as I grow in the sport, and try to break into the top five and eventually get to the top.”

Looking to defend their Singapore Open crowns are men’s world No. 1 Ali Farag of Egypt and Belgium’s Coll, the women’s world No. 5.

Farag, who won the US Open for a third time in October, said: “Obviously you head into every tournament trying to win it, but you take it one step at a time. It’s a very strong draw, lots of top players... hopefully I can do as well as last year.”

The 2023 edition of the tournament was particularly memorable for Coll, who

edged out her sister Tinne Gilis

in a five-game final that lasted 82 minutes.

On returning to Singapore, she said: “Like Ali said, you head into every tournament with a goal of winning but you can’t get ahead of yourself. I’m trying to stay in the present moment and take it one match at a time, it’s a strong draw.

“I enjoy being here, I love the court and everything. So I’m really excited to get started.”

Also fighting for honours in the Republic is her New Zealander husband Paul Coll, the men’s world No. 4. The duo tied the knot in Greece four months ago, but marriage has not changed much for the couple who have been on tour together for several years.

Paul said: “Obviously, you start looking post-squash but we have the Olympics in four years so it’s easy for us to stay motivated and have that at the back of our minds.

“We had a great wedding and a great off-season. We came into the season pretty happy so, hopefully, that translates into good results.”

Singapore will be represented by four wild cards – Samuel Kang, Au Yeong Wai Yhann, Jerome Aw and Cassandra Ong.