Sivasangari Subramaniam (MAS) 3-1 [8] Joelle King (NZL) 9-11, 11-6, 11-6, 12-10 (40m)
Another player making her return after a long injury layoff was New Zealand’s Joelle King. King, who had not played a competitive match for 11 months, started well against Sivasangari Subramanium, but could not capitalise on a strong start, with the Malaysian winning 9-11, 11-6, 11-6, 12-10 in 40 minutes.
Sivasangari
“It’s obviously tough, not just because she’s coming off injury [so is playing without pressure] but because she’s a former World No.3 and has so much experience. She’s such a good player and I respect her a lot.
“I’d never beaten her before today, I think it was really hard physically but I was starting to get into my rhythm. It’s never easy to play your first match of the season.
“Today was a bit tricky; when I got it right I got it right, but when I was rushing too much I wasn’t too accurate. Moving onto the next round, I want to find more consistency, which is something I need against the top players. I think it’s good for a first match of the season but I’m expecting more of myself.”
