Sujani in shock win over Lashini

Dilanka Mannakkara

The 38th annual Junior National Badminton Championships which is the premier tournament for Junior shuttlers started yesterday morning at the Royal College Sports Complex, Colombo7. Plenty of young aspiring players including national poolists also were seen in action.

The first round and second round matches were mainly played and quarter finalists were found in Under-19 Girls and Boys Singles age categories.

Most of the favourites were through to the Quarters but there was a major upset in the Under-19 Girls Singles as third seed Lashini Chehara was beaten by an unseeded player Sujani Madushani de Costa 21/13, 18/21, 21/16 in a closely fought game.

The semi finalists were decided in the Under-19 Mixed Doubles and also the match for the third place was played .

Under-19 Boys Singles

second round: Nuwan Hettiarachchi bt Hassan Suja 21/4,21/4, Lakshita Maduwage bt Malinka Ranasinghe 21/16, 16/21, 21/9, Omal Dharmawardena bt Lahiru Madushan 18/21,21/12,21/13, Tharaka Manawadu bt Thasneem Hameed 21/6,21/5, Nalin Perera bt Tuwan Casim 21/8,21/11, Dilshan Kariyawasam bt Asanga Jayasundara 21/7,21/12, Chiranthaka Minimuthu bt Namitha Gunathilaka 21/12,21/6, H.S Harsha bt Aditya Singh 21/10,21/6.

Under-19 Girls Singles

Lekha Shehani bt Santhashni de Mel 21/5, 21/3, Akila Jayamanne bt Ruwanthi Vidyani 21/6, 21/11

Oshadie Kuruppu bt Dilrini Dolapitiya 21/4, 21/6, Sheron Ktichilan bt Uvini Senanayake 17/21, 21/15, 21/8, Sujani de Costa bt Lashini Chehara 21/13, 18/21, 21/16, Uththara Sangakkara bt Mansala Ranaweera 21/1, 21/0.

Under-19 Mixed Doubles, Semi Finals: Dilshan and Oshadie bt Lashini and Lahiru 21/15, 16/21, 21/16, Nuwan and Lekha bt Uvini and Asanga 21/13, 21/22.

Third Place: Lashini and Lahiru bt Uvini and Asanga 21/19, 18/21, 21/17.