Sri Lanka’s badminton sensation Viren Nettasinghe reached the pre quarter-final stage of Crowne Plaza Northern Marianas Open 2024, currently underway in Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands.
The top seed player of the six-day competition conducted by Northern Marianas Badminton Association, recorded straight wins on his way to reach the top 16 after defeating Japan’s Keisuje Fujiwara in the Round of 32 after handing a straight defeat to Hsin Tse Tu of Chinese Taipei to advance further as the firm favourite to clinch the Men’s Singles title of the tournament.
Yesterday, in the third round, Nettasinghe had little opposition from Fujiwara as he cruised to an easy 21-7 win in the first set. But the Japanese shuttler showed some improvement in the second setter before Nettasinghe nailed the game 2-0 with a set score of 22-20.
Earlier, in the second round, Nettasinghe played gallantly to totally outplay Chinese Taipei’s Tse Hu 2-0, after recording set wins of 21-7 and 21-6. The first Sri Lankan athlete to directly qualify for the Paris Olympics 2024, received a bye in the first round after earning the top seed position of the tournament. He will now meet Malaysia’s Justin Hoh, the fifth seed player of the tournament, in the quarter-final.
The tournament will end on Saturday, as Nettasinghe is expected claim the Men’s Singles title of the competition, one of the two international tournaments the Sri Lankan shuttle sensation features in the Paris Olympics.
The quarter-finals of Men’s Singles of the Northern Marianas Open will take place on July 5, followed by the semi-finals next day, culminating in the gold medal matches on July 7.
Nettasinghe, Sri Lanka’s top ranked shuttler, is currently placed 75th in the world. Following the Northern Marianas Open, he will compete in the Saipan International Open Badminton Tournament 2024 from July 9-13.
The two BWF Grade 3 International Challenge Tournaments, both offering a prize pool of $15,000 each, are expected to attract top talent from around the world. Sanctioned by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) and Badminton Oceania, both tournaments are hosted by the Northern Marianas Badminton Association.