KUALA LUMPUR: National squash queen S. Sivasangari produced a performance of immense character by fighting back from the brink of defeat to be crowned the Grasshopper Cup 2026 champion in Zurich, Switzerland, yesterday.
She reaffirmed her dominance over Japan’s Satomi Watanabe, securing a hard-fought 3-2 victory (15-13, 5-11, 5-11, 11-7, 11-8) in a 62-minute final.
Despite winning the first set, Sivasangari found herself trailing 1-2 after Watanabe took the second and third games but the Kedah-born star showed incredible resilience to sweep the final two sets and clinch the Gold-level tournament title.
This triumph further cements Sivasangari’s dominance over the world number seven by extending her superior head-to-head record to seven wins in eight meetings.
Her previous victories over Watanabe include encounters at the Malaysian Squash Tour II 2016, Malaysian Squash Tour III 2016, Malaysian Squash Tour XI 2017, Malaysian Open 2017, Australian Open 2019 and the Gillenmarkets British Open 2025.
Her only defeat to the Japanese player was at the Smartcentres PSA Squash Tour Finals 2024-2025.
What makes Sivasangari’s victory in Zurich even more remarkable was her journey to the final just 24 hours earlier, she had endured a punishing 81-minute semifinal against Egyptian powerhouse Amina Orfi.
In that match, she similarly displayed her trademark fighting spirit to win 11-7, 5-11, 8-11, 11-9, 11-5, marking only her second win against Orfi in nine encounters. – BERNAMA
