Nevindu Lakman shines in debut Senior Squash Championship

Formerly ranked as Asia’s number three junior player, Nevindu Lakman, who clinched three Junior National Titles in the Sri Lanka Junior National Squash Championship for three consecutive years, secured a commendable third place in his debut at the 43rd Senior National Championship, which concluded last Sunday at the Air Force Squash Court Complex in Ratmalana.

Making history as the first player to achieve such a high rank at the Junior Asian level, Lakman triumphed over the national number three-ranked former DS Senanayake College player and current college coach, Mohamed Hakeem, in the third-place match. Notably, Lakman had faced defeats against Hakeem in the previous matches.

Remarkably, out of the top six players in the Men’s Open category, five were DS Senanayake College old boys, with Lakman still being a student. Lakman secured the third place in the Senior Men’s Open category for the first time.

“After four consecutive defeats against Hakeem, I managed to win this time,” Lakman expressed.

Seeded fourth in the tournament, Lakman faced Hakeem, who was seeded third, following champion Ravindu Laksiri and runner-up Shamil Wakeel. Lakman’s world ranking improved from over 700 to 320 this year; he was ranked 354 before the start of the Senior Nationals.

In the quarter-final, 19-year-old Lakman triumphed over Viduranga Udantha by 3-2, while in the semi-final, he was defeated by Shamil Wakeel by 3-0 (11-8, 11-8, and 11-1 in favor of Wakeel).

Speaking about the higher-ranked players, Ravindu Laksiri and Shamil Wakeel, Lakman highlighted their contribution to raising the standard of squash in the country.

“It’s a good thing that Ravindu Laksiri is ranked 137, and Shamil Wakeel is around 220. Since they are beyond me, it’s good for me to practice and compete with them to improve our world rankings,” Lakman stated.

“Sri Lanka’s squash has upgraded now. Earlier, we had a chance to be national champions at my level, but now it’s not that easy. Ravindu Laksiri is an 11-year champion, and Shamil Wakeel is number two, so it’s difficult to beat them. I have to work hard for our improvement,” Lakman emphasized.

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