AHMEDABAD, India, January 28 (ePRESS) – Sri Lanka’s undisputed national champion Ravindu Laksiri, who is ranked 106 in the world, recorded a solid victory over India’s Om Semwal at the HCL Squash Indian Tour 5, played at the Belvedere Golf and Country Club in Ahmedabad, India.
The second-seeded Ravindu won the match 3–1 with game scores of 11-8, 6-11, 11-3, 11-7 in a contest that lasted 38 minutes. He showed good control of the court, strong fitness and sharp shot selection to secure his place in the quarter-finals.
Om Semwal, who is 21 years old, is ranked number six in India. He fought back well to take the second game, but Ravindu responded with a dominant third game and maintained pressure in the fourth to close out the match.
Ravindu will meet Egypt’s Seif Refaay in the quarter-final tomorrow in what is expected to be a tough test. Refaay is unseeded but is considered one of the most dangerous junior players on the tour.
Refaay is 17 years old and is the reigning British Junior Open champion. He is also ranked number seven in the world in the Under-19 category.
The two players last met in September, when Ravindu defeated Refaay 3–1. However, Refaay has continued to improve his game since then, and Thursday’s quarter-final is expected to be a closely contested encounter.
