
Sivasangari bows out of PSA Tour Finals without a win
The world No. 8, who lifted the Cincinnati Cup title in February, suffered her third straight defeat on Wednesday, going down 8-11, 11-9, 11-7 to world No. 7 Satomi Watanabe of Japan.
It was Sivasangari's first loss to Satomi in seven PSA Tour meetings, and the result saw her finish bottom of the group.
She had earlier lost to world No. 4 Olivia Weaver of the United States and world No. 14 Fayrouz Aboelkheir of Egypt.
National coach Ajaz Azmat said Sivasangari started well by taking the opening game against Satomi but couldn't maintain her momentum.
"Sivasangari gave her best, but she just couldn't find the points to win the match," said Ajaz.
"She'll now have two months to rest and regroup before the new season starts in September."
Satomi, who became the first Japanese player to reach the Tour Finals semi-finals, praised her opponent's spirit.
"All credit to Sivasangari, she showed her fighting spirit right until the end," said Satomi.
"It's tough to stay motivated once you know your qualification chances are slim, but she still turned up for the final game.
"I knew the second game was crucial. I was down 6-3 and really happy to turn it around."
Satomi will face Group A winner and world No. 1 Nouran Gohar of Egypt in the semi-finals, while Weaver takes on world No. 10 Georgina Kennedy of England in the other last-four clash.

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