After two days of setbacks, hosts shine with historic doubles success

After two days of setbacks, the third day of the Yonex-Sunrise Bangladesh International Series brought a historic moment for Bangladesh badminton. For the first time ever, four Bangladeshi men’s doubles pairs advanced to the quarter-finals of an international tournament, signaling a major turnaround for the hosts and sparking hope after a challenging start.

On Wednesday at the Shaheed Tajuddin Ahmed Indoor Stadium, the pre-quarterfinal matches saw remarkable performances from the home shuttlers. Raidul Islam and Tanoy Saha defeated Iran’s Mehdi Ansari and Amin Hasani in a thrilling three-set battle, 17-21, 21-14, 21-19, to secure their spot in the last eight. 

Meanwhile, Tanvir Ahmed and Gaurav Singha overcame compatriots Akib Sulaiman and Shubho Khandaker, 24-22, 21-16, and Md. Naeem and Mizanur Rahman edged past Vietnam’s Dang k and Tran Hong, 22-24, 21-14, 21-18, to reach the quarterfinals. 

Later in the day, Al Amin Jumar and Moajjam Hossain Ohidul cruised past Iran’s Amir Hossein Azmloo and Saeed Armin Zaki, 21-11, 21-9, completing the historic quartet of Bangladeshi pairs in the last eight.

Speaking after their match, top-seeded Al Amin Jumar said, “In mixed doubles, I reached the final with Urmi before, but in men’s doubles our results were affected by my partner Ahidul’s injury. Still, reaching the quarterfinals here is a big achievement. Our goal is to become champions, and we’ll give our best.” His partner, Moazzem Hossain Ahidul, added, “We aim to give our maximum and fight for the title, no matter who comes in our way. We want to play the final at our best.”

Bangladesh shuttlers had previously made history at the Bangladesh International Challenge, where Al Amin Jumar and Urmi Akter reached the mixed doubles final for the first time, though they fell short of the title. Encouraged by that experience, the current series now holds the promise of medals for the home side. If even one of the four men’s doubles pairs reaches the semifinals, Bangladesh is guaranteed a bronze medal.

While the men’s doubles delighted the home crowd, the women’s doubles faced disappointment. Top national players Nashima Khatun and Urmi Akter, seeded one and two respectively, were defeated by a Thai pair 18-21, 21-19, 21-8, exiting the tournament early.