Three Sri Lanka’s most prominent badminton players Dumindu Abeywickrama, Rasindu Hendahewa and Ranithma Liyanage recently made their mark in international competitions, asserting their presence on the world stage. Competing in two prestigious tournaments, Dumindu, Rasindu and Ranithma all delivered commendable performances, highlighting Sri Lanka’s growing influence in the sport.
This is a good show by Sri Lankas promising shuttlers who are aiming for the next Olympics slot after Viren Nettasinghe who got a chance at last Olympics in France. Not only they are getting exposure but also have a chance to collect world ranking points from these tournaments.
At the MAXX North Harbour International 2024 in Auckland, New Zealand, Dumindu Abeywickrama, ranked 152nd, made a strong showing.
The 21-year-old former Royalist cruised through his first two rounds, defeating Nepal’s Jivan Acharya (21-13, 21-9) and overcoming a close contest against Keith Mark Edison (25-23, 21-16). However, in the Round of 16, Abeywickrama was beaten by Taiwan’s fifth seed, Wang Po-Wei, in a tight three-setter match (16-21, 21-15, 21-16) which lasted more than one hour. Dumindu won the first set but Thaiwan shuttler Wan won next two sets. In addition start of this year Dumindu Abeywickrama was the only Sri Lankan to enter the semi final of Li Ning International Badminton Series in Sri Lanka and it was a great achievement by him as more than 300 shuttlers from 16 countries entered the tournament conducted by Sri Lanka Badminton.
At the BNI Indonesia International Challenge 2024 in Surabaya, Rasindu Hendahewa, ranked 200th in the world, advanced to the Round of 16 after defeating Thailand’s Ratchaphol Srithong in straight sets (21-9, 21-17) in the first round and edging Malaysia’s Muhammad Naim Ahmad Fairuzly in a tough three-setter (21-8, 18-21, 21-11) in the Round of 32. Hendahewa’s progression to the last 16 was a significant achievement for the 22-year-old player.
At the same tournament in Indonesia 17-year-old Ranithma Liyanage had an impressive performance in the women’s singles. After a dramatic comeback victory over Thailand’s Nutnalin Rattanapanuwong (14-21, 21-14, 22-20) in the Round of 32, Liyanage – ranked 142- was eliminated in the Round of 16 by Indonesia’s Bilqis Prasista who won 13-21, 18-21. Ranithma’s efforts received high praise despite her loss to Prasista, currently ranked 109th in the BWF World Tour.
Next up for the young trio is the Indonesia Masters II 2024, a BWF Tour Super 100 Tournament, taking place from 29th October to 3rd November 2024 at the Jatim International Expo Convention Exhibition in Surabaya.
Dhammika Ratnaweera