KUALA LUMPUR: (ePRESS) – Ravindu Laksiri, representing Sri Lanka as its first and only player in a World Championship Qualifying Event, secured an impressive victory against Iraq’s number one player, Ferman Hassan. The match took place during the 2023-2024 World Championship Qualifying Event – Asia Round I, held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Laksiri emerged victorious over Hassan with a scoreline of 3-0, with the sets reading 17-19, 6-11, and 2-11 in favor of the Sri Lankan champion. The intense match lasted for 36 minutes, and Laksiri’s win earned him 75 points for his world rankings.
This historic moment marks the first time a Sri Lankan squash player has participated in a World Championship Qualifying Event, a PSA event, in the history of the island-nation.
If Laksiri manages to clinch the championship title, he will secure Asia’s wildcard entry for the World Championship, scheduled to take place next month in Egypt. Out of the 64 slots available for the World Championship, 59 players have already been selected, leaving five slots allocated for the five continents. The winner of this tournament will fill the slot designated for Asia.
In the upcoming quarter-final match, Laksiri will face off against Japanese player Ryunosuke Tsukue, who holds the number one seeding in the tournament and shows off a world ranking of 59. The match promises to be a formidable encounter and is scheduled for Friday.
