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Sivasangari skips Deepavali festivities for China Open quest

KUALA LUMPUR: There will be no Deepavali celebration for world No. 9 S. Sivasangari, as she will be competing in the US$75,000 China Open, beginning tomorrow in Shanghai, following her recovery from a foot injury.

The Asian champion sustained the injury during her semi-final defeat at the Silicon Valley Open on Oct 15, which led her to skip last week's US Open.

Seeded second in Shanghai, Sivasangari faces a challenging draw, with several Egyptian players standing between her and her target of justifying her seeding.

If all goes as expected, the Kedah-born is likely to meet world No. 8 and top seed Rowan Elaraby of Egypt in the final.

Sivasangari, who has a bye in the first round, will face either compatriot Ainaa Amani or Egypt's world No. 69 Amina El Rihany in the second round.

Should she advance, the Malaysian is projected to play seventh seed Georgia Adderley of Scotland in the quarter-finals and potentially Egypt's third seed Farida Mohamed in the semi-finals.

National coach Ajaz Azmat said Sivasangari, who won the London Classic in April, is in high spirits and eager to reach the final.

"Sivasangari must perform consistently well in every match, as her main challenge will come from the Egyptian players," said Ajaz.

In the men's draw, world No. 14 Ng Eain Yow, who won the German Open in April, is seeded third.

Eain Yow also has a bye in the first round and is expected to face world No. 20 Dimitri Steinmann of Switzerland in the quarter-finals.

Should he progress, he will likely face second seed Marwan El Shorbagy of England in the semi-finals, with Marwan's elder brother, Mohamed — world No. 9 — as the top seed.

Ajaz said Eain Yow has a good chance of reaching the semi-finals, adding that "anything more than that will be a bonus."

Other Malaysians competing in the Silver-level tournament include Addeen Idrakie, Rachel Arnold, K. Sehveetrraa, and sisters Aifa and Aira Azman.

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