Bangladesh shuttlers face setbacks, but doubles pair sparks hope

The second day of the Yonex-Sunrise Bangladesh International Series brought a mix of disappointment and hope for the host nation at the Shaheed Tajuddin Ahmed Indoor Stadium. While Bangladesh’s shuttlers continued to face challenges in singles events, the men’s doubles pairing of Riyadul Islam and Tanoy Saha provided a bright spot, advancing to the round of 16.

In the men’s doubles round of 32, the Bangladeshi duo defeated India’s Venkat Sani Naga and Sai Prudhvi Saranam in straight sets, 21-8, 21-13, securing a place in the pre-quarterfinals. The dominant performance marked their best result in an international tournament to date. The pair, from Khulna, expressed immense joy, especially after taking revenge on the same Indian pair who had eliminated them in the first round of the recent Bangladesh International Challenge.

Speaking after the match, Tanoy Saha said, “We have been playing together for five years and have developed excellent understanding. Our progress is steady, and much of our success is thanks to Coach Raju Sir. We are also grateful to the Ilora Shuttler Academy in Dinajpur for providing world-class facilities. Winning our first match in this series is a great start, and we hope to go much further.”

Riyadul Islam added, “We couldn’t perform well in the previous two international events, so reaching the round of 16 here is a huge achievement. Our ultimate goal is to become champions, and we will give our best to achieve that.”

While the doubles pair shone, singles events remained challenging for Bangladesh. Star shuttler Khandakar Abdus Sowad, however, lost in the round of 32 against Malaysia’s Muhammad Haziq, 17-21, 10-21. Another Bangladeshi player, Ching Mong Marma, was also defeated in the men’s singles by Thailand’s Pannachi Bommak, 21-15, 11-21, 20-22.

However, most other Bangladeshi shuttlers could not find success. Big names like Al Amin Jumar, Aiman Ibn Zaman, and Gaurab Singh lost in the first round, while Sifat Ullah Galib, Md. Ratan, Abdul Hamid Lukman, and Robiul Islam Ripon also fell short. Even in doubles, the Sifat brothers (Sifat Ullah–Sibgat Ullah) suffered defeat. In women’s singles, top player Urmi Akter lost convincingly to Malaysia’s Lim Zhi Shin, 21-6, 21-15.

As the Series gathers pace, hopes now rest squarely on Riyadul Islam and Tanoy Saha to keep Bangladesh’s doubles challenge alive.