KUALA LUMPUR: Asian champion S. Sivasangari survived a scare from world No. 24 Zeina Mickawy to reach the semi-finals of the US$100,000 Silicon Valley Open in Redwood City, California, yesterday.
World No. 9 Sivasangari took 55 minutes to overcome the Egyptian 11-9, 9-11, 13-11, 11-13, 11-3.
The third seed, who won the London Classic Open in April, will now face world No. 4 and top seed Olivia Weaver of the United States for a place in the final tomorrow.
Weaver advanced to the semis after defeating world No. 17 Farida Mohamed of Egypt 11-8, 11-8, 12-10 in 34 minutes.
Sivasangari, 25, last played Weaver, 29, at the Paris Squash Open last month, where the American won 11-8, 11-8, 8-11, 11-8 in the second round.
National coach Ajaz Azmat said Sivasangari did not play her best against Zeina but still managed to secure the victory.
"Sivasangari had match point in the fourth game but lost her focus and ended up losing 13-11. However, her superior fitness allowed her to recover and take the deciding game," said Ajaz.
Looking ahead to the semi-final, Ajaz stressed that Sivasangari must raise her game against Weaver, who is in peak form.
"Weaver is currently the fourth-best player in the world, behind three Egyptians, and she reached the semi-finals of the Qatar Classic earlier this month.
"The match will not only be physically tough, but Sivasangari will need to handle the mental pressure as well," added Ajaz.