“The Ally Pally atmosphere is just electric” – Defending champion Sivasangari Excited For London Return

Eighteen months on from her fairytale week at the London Squash Classic 2024, Sivasangari Subramaniam returns to the world-renowned Alexandra Palace with fond memories of the biggest title win of her career to date.

The Malaysian No.1 tore up the script last time out in the English capital as she blitzed her way to the Gold-level title with a trio of huge upsets over then-World No.1 Nour El Sherbini, World No.2 Hania El Hammamy and World No.4 Nele Gilis.

Her win over El Sherbini, in particular, sent shockwaves through the squash world as she became the first player outside the top 10 in the PSA World Rankings to beat the eight-time World Champion since Annie Au in 2015.

Reflecting on this title win ahead of her return to the event, Sivasangari said: “Winning the London Classic last year was an amazing experience, it is definitely one of the highlights of my career so far.

“But what made it truly special was the personal journey I’d been through. Just two years before, I was in a serious car accident, and the road back to feeling like myself again on court was long and challenging.

“It really wasn’t until the end of 2023 and the beginning of 2024 that I started feeling physically and mentally back to where I was. So to come full circle and win such a prestigious title in that iconic venue, it was emotional and incredibly rewarding.”

The defending champion enters the London Squash Classic 2025 presented by Bassim Haidar as tournament No.5 seed, in a women’s draw which includes the likes of World No.4 Olivia Weaver, World No.5 Amina Orfi, World No.6 Satomi Watanabe and World No.7 Tinne Gilis. She is set to open her account against one of Torrie Malik or Tomato Ho, before a potential quarter-final meeting with No.4 seed Gilis.

On her excitement at returning to the renowned entertainment and sports venue, Alexandra Palace, which has also hosted other notable events such as the PDC World Darts Championships, Sivasangari said: “The atmosphere at Ally Pally was just electric, and it meant even more to me because I beat the world number 1, 2 and 4, and it was my first time winning a Gold-level event.

“I’m really looking forward to getting back out there. It’s the first tournament of the season for me. I have great memories from last year at Ally Pally, and I’m excited to feel that atmosphere again and hopefully put on another strong performance.

“Ally Pally is definitely up there with the very best [venues I have played in]. The setup is incredible, the crowd is right there with you, and I love the pink-purple glass court.”

Of late, Sivasangari has added former World No.1 and World Champion Gregory Gaultier to her coaching set-up as she looks to push her way above her career-high ranking of World No.7, and continually go deep in major events on the PSA Squash Tour.

Speaking about her 2025/26 preparations with the ‘French General’, she said: “Pre-season has been really good. I spent the summer training period in Prague with Gregory Gaultier, alongside a few other players. It is my first summer spending time with Greg and it was a really great block of training. I’ve also been paying close attention to my recovery and staying injury-free.

On her goals for the upcoming 2025/26 season, she added: “For me, I’m taking each tournament as it comes and trying to be as consistent as possible in each match.

“I’d love to break into the top 5 this season, but more than anything, I want to keep improving, keep enjoying the game, and see where that takes me.”

The London Squash Classic 2025 presented by Bassim Haidar takes place between September 2-7, with every second of action available to watch live on SQUASHTV. All 16 first-round matches from the Gold-level event will be held at Coolhurst Lawn Tennis & Squash Club before play moves over to the spectacular Alexandra Palace from round two onwards.

A best-of-three games scoring format will be used in every round up to and including the quarter-finals, before reverting to traditional best-of-five scoring for the semi-finals and title deciders.

For more information from the London Squash Classic 2025, visit the PSA website or follow the PSA on X, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Threads, WhatsApp and LinkedIn.