It was a good day for the Sri Lankan Badminton team as they earned their spots in the singles and doubles quarterfinals at the 21st Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia.
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Singles – Of the four men in the pool, Niluka and Dinuka Krunaratne along with Buwaneka Goonethilleka competed in the Men’s Singles category. Hasini Ambalangodage was the only Sri Lankan competing in the Women’s Singles category.
Out for vengeance from the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games, where Dinuka Karunaratne lost in the round of 16, he has made peace by winning the same at the 2018 games and for the first time in his career, has entered the quarterfinal of this years’ Men’s Singles category. His victim from Mauritius Julien Paul suffered a straight set loss – 23/21, 22/20 – sending Karunaratne through to his first quarterfinal entry at a Commonwealth Games.
Unfortunately, older brother Niluka was unable to replicate Dinuka’s form as he and Buwaneka Goonethilake lost out in the round of 16 while Hasini Ambalangodage was knocked out in the round of 32.
| Men’s Singles | Player | Player | Score |
| Round of 64 | Buwaneka Goonethilleka | Murad Ali (PAK) | 21/16, 21/19 |
| Dinuka Karunaratne | Kervin Ghislain (SEY) | 21/7, 21/10 | |
| Niluka Karunaratne | Christopher Eynon (Flk) | 21/8, 21/7 | |
| Round of 32 | Buwaneka Goonethilleka | Emmanual Donkor (Gha) | 21/18, 24/22 |
| Dinuka Karunaratne | Ciaran Chambers (NIR) | 21/7, 21/8 | |
| Niluka Karunaratne | Liam Fong (FIJ) | 21/5, 21/6 | |
| Round of 16 | Zin Rei Ryan (SGP) | Buwaneka Goonethilleka | 21/9, 10/21, 21/19 |
| Srikanth Kidambi (IND) | Niluka Karunaratne | 21/10, 21/10 | |
| Dinuka Karunaratne | Julien Paul (MRI) | 23/21, 22/20 | |
| Women’s Singles | Player | Player | Score |
| Round of 64 | Hasini Ambalangodage | Emily Redshaw (JEY) | 21/18, 21/11 |
| Round of 32 | Kate Foo Kune (MRI) | Hasini Ambalangodage | 21/12, 21/12 |
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Doubles – After his run in the Men’s singles, Buwaneka Goonethilleka joined young Sachin Dias to try his luck in the Men’s Doubles. Hasini Ambalangodage teamed up with Madushika Dilrukshi while Thilini Hendahewa entered the event with Kavidi Sirimannage.
All three pairs were able to successfully negotiate their round of 16 encounters and will play their quarterfinals in the coming days.
| Men’s Doubles | Players | Players | Score |
| Round of 32 | Buwaneka Goonethilleka/Sachin Dias | Chongo Mulega/Kalombo Mulega (ZAM) | 21/6, 21/9 |
| Round of 16 | Buwaneka Goonethilleka/Sachin Dias | Matthew Bignell/Alexander Hutchings (JEY) | 21/13, 21/13 |
| Women’s Doubles | Players | Players | Score |
| Round of 32 | Hasini Ambalngodage/Madushika Dilrukshi | Kimberly Clague/ Christen Marritt (IOM) | 21/13, 21/19 |
| Thilini Hendahewa/ Kavidi Sirimannage | Palwashar Bashir/Mahoor Shahzad (PAK) | 21/6, 21/15 | |
| Round of 16 | Hasini Ambalngodage/Madushika Dilrukshi | Marie Alisa/Nicki Chan-Lam (MRI) | 21/6, 21/9 |
| Thilini Hendahewa/ Kavidi Sirimannage | Michelle Emmett/ Elsie DeVilliers (RSA) | 21/9, 21/9 | |
Mixed Doubles – Sachin Dias and Thilini Hendahewa squared up in the Mixed Doubles event making their way to the round of 16. Buwaneka Goonethilleka and Kavidi Sirimannage rejoiced victory in the first round but their ride came to an end in the round of 32.
| Mixed Doubles | Players | Players | Score |
| Round of 64 | Sachin Dias/Thilini Hendahewa | Edward Ekiring/Shamim Bangi (UGA) | 21/17, 21/9 |
| Buwaneka Goonethilleka/Kavidi Sirimannage | Abraham Ayittey/Gifty Mensah (GHA) | 21/7, 21/9 | |
| Round of 32 | Sachin Dias/Thilini Hendahewa | Elise Dixon/Alexander Hutchings (JEY) | 21/10, 21/11 |
| Alexander Dunn/Eleanor O’Donnell (SCO) | Buwaneka Goonethilleka/Kavidi Sirimannage | 21/19, 21/17 | |
| Round of 16 | Tan Wei Han/Hee Kai Terry (SGP) | Sachin Dias/Thilini Hendahewa | 23/21, 21/19 |
Stay logged onto www.thepapare.com/category/badminton/ to keep up with the Sri Lanka’s journey in the 21st Commonwealth Games.
