Yonex US Open – Niluka ends in Round 2

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Niluka Karunaratne
Niluka Karunaratne

Sri Lankan national shuttler Niluka Karunaratne concluded his stint in North America after making the second round of the Yonex US Open losing out to Riichi Takeshita of Japan.

The 31-year-old national seed had a similar fate in the Canada Open but managed to end up in the third round. Despite the short stints, Niluka will have with him the exposure he requires when he sets sail to the 2016 Rio Olympics.  He also advances to the 109th spot in the Men’s Singles rankings worldwide.

Facing Edwin Ekiring in the initial stage, Niluka secured an outright 21-12 & 21-12 win to advance over to the next round. The second round opponent, Kenta Nishimoto was too much for the Sri Lankan to handle as Karunaratne lost 21-13, 21-13 to the Japanese national.

With a third round finish in the Canada Open and a second round finish in the US Open, Niluka returns to the island in line to prepare himself for the 2016 Rio Olympics that is set to take place this August.