Bangabandhu QF: Laksiri Gatecrashes Last Four

The 2nd Bangabandhu Squash Tournament Presented by Ishaphani Ltd quarter finals took place on Friday in Dhaka, with Sri Lanka No.1 Ravindu Laksiri taking down the tournament’s No.2 seed to make the semis.

Laksiri, the World No.281, came up against No.2 seed Duncan Lee in the last of the four quarter final contests. The Sri Lankan won the first and third games of their last eight match-up, but saw Lee fight back to level the tie on both occasions. The final game of the match almost went the distance, with Laksiri coming out on top, taking it 11-8 to secure victory after exactly an hour on court.

He will now face another Malaysian in the semi-finals in Amir Amirul. The tournament’s No.4 seed overcame the challenge of Egypt’s Abdelaziz Hegazy, winning 11-7, 12-10, 12-10 in 36 minutes to book his spot in the last four in Dhaka.

The other semi-final will see top seed Ammar Altamimi take on Egypt’s Ziad Ibrahim, after the pair both came through their respective quarter final contests. Altamimi had to go the distance to overcome Iranian Sami Ghasedabadi, while Ibrahim defeated compatriot Abdelrahman Abdelkhalek to advance. 

The semi-finals of the 2nd Bangabandhu Squash Tournament Presented by Ishaphani Ltd will take place on Saturday, October 8, with the final four aiming to reach the finals of the competition.

Quarter Final Results: 2nd Bangabandhu Squash Tournament Presented by Ishaphani Ltd
[1] Ammar Altamimi (KUW) bt [11] Sami Ghasedabadi (IRI) 3-2: 13-11, 11-5, 1-11, 5-11, 11-6 (46m)
[3] Ziad Ibrahim (EGY) bt [10] Abdelrahman Abdelkhalek (EGY) 3-1: 11-4, 8-11, 11-6, 11-7 (34m)
[4] Amir Amirul (MAS) bt [6] Abdelaziz Hegazy (EGY) 3-0: 11-7, 12-10, 12-10 (36m)
[8] Ravindu Laksiri (SRI) bt [2] Duncan Lee (MAS) 3-0: 11-6, 9-11, 11-7, 5-11, 11-8 (60m)

Semi-Final Draw: To Be Played Saturday, October 8
[1] Ammar Altamimi (KUW) v [3] Ziad Ibrahim (EGY)
[4] Amir Amirul (MAS) v [8] Ravindu Laksiri (SRI)