Sri Lankan shuttlers advance to quarter-finals

By Naushad Amit reporting from Nepal

Sri Lankan shuttlers stepped into the individual events winning a total of 11 pre quarter-finals in the badminton competition of the 13th South Asian Games (SAG) which continued at the Covered Hall in Pokhara, Nepal yesterday (04).

Skipper Dinuka Karunaratne continued his form to remain unbeaten in the Men’s Singles while Achini Ratnasiri also maintained her standard as a medal-winning prospect.

Karunaratne beat Bangladesh’s Salman Khan earlier on and went on to defeat Nepal’s Nidup Durji by identical scores in the Men’s Singles pre quarter-finals.

Results

Men’s Singles (Pre quarter-finals): Dinuka Karunaratne (SL) beat Salman Khan (Ban) 21-10, 21-7. Dinuka Karunaratne (SL) beat Nidup Durji (Nep) 21-9, 21-7. Ranthushka Sasindu (SL) lost to Aryaman Tandou (Ind) 17-21, 17-21. Women’s Singles (pre quarter-finals): Achini Ratnasiri (SL) beat Rashila Maharjan (Nep) 21-15, 21-19. Dilmi Dias (SL) beat Nabiha Razzaq (Mal) 21-6, 21-19. Dilmi Dias (SL) beat Alina Sultana (Ban) 21-8, 21-10. Anurangi Masakorale (SL) beat Shalpa Akter (Ban) 21-8, 21-10. Men’s Doubles (pre quarter-finals): Sachin Dias and Buwaneka Goonathilake (SL) beat Hamid Luckman and Gourab Singha (Ban) 21-15, 21-18. Sachin Dias and Buwaneka Goonathilake (SL) beat Arun George and Sanyam Shukla (Ind) 21-10, 23-21. Dinuka Karunaratne and Hasitha Chanaka (SL) lost to Mohamed Atique and Raja Mohammad (Ban) 14-21, 21-13, 19-21. Women’s Doubles (pre quarter-finals): Achini Ratnasiri and Upuli Samanthika (SL) beat Palwasha Bashir and Mahoor Shehzad (Pak) 21-10, 21-9. Thilini Hendehewa and Kavidi Sirimannage (SL) beat Jessica Gurung and Rashila Maharjan (Nep) 21-8, 21-7. Mixed Doubles (pre quarter-finals): Ranthushka Sasindu and Kavidi Sirimannage (SL) beat Shuvo Khandaker and Bristi Khitua (Ban) 21-11, 21-13.