KUALA LUMPUR: S. Sivasangari pushed world No. 2 Hania El Hammamy to the limit again, but the Malaysian was left heartbroken after suffering another agonising fifth-game defeat in the Egyptian Open semi-finals.

The world No. 4 battled for 86 minutes before going down 6-11, 12-10, 10-12, 11-0, 12-10 to the defending champion in Cairo, missing out on a place in the final for the second time in her career.

It was the second time in as many months that Sivasangari had taken Hania to a deciding game in a major semi-final, only to lose 12-10.

The Malaysian suffered a similar heartbreak against the Egyptian at the Qatar Classic in September.