Bangladesh’s Al-Amin Jumar and Urmi Akter fought bravely but went down in straight sets in the mixed doubles final of the Yonex-Sunrise Bangladesh International Challenge badminton championship at the Shaheed Tajuddin Ahmed Indoor Stadium on Saturday.

Bangladesh badminton scaled a historic height on Friday night as Al-Amin Jumar and Urmi Akter stormed into the mixed doubles final of the Yonex-Sunrise Bangladesh International Challenge, becoming the first Bangladeshi pair to reach the final of any event in the tournament’s history.

The day also saw a surprise success as the unheralded pairing of Mashud Ahmed and Sadakat Robin Asfaq booked a place in the quarterfinals with a win over a Malaysian pair.

World No. 676 Gourab beat Irusumalla (469) 21-12, 21-11 on an otherwise disappointing day for the hosts.

Top-seed Polina, who participated in the Paris Olympics for Ukraine, handed a 21-19, 21-19 defeat to Thailand’s Lalinrat Chaiwan at Shaheed Tajuddin Ahmed Indoor Stadium

Mohammad Moynul Islam Munna, a Bangladeshi coach who has carved out a career in Malaysia, hardly had a moment to spare as he shuffled from court to court, giving instructions to his Malaysian students who are taking part in ongoing Yonex-Sunrise Bangladesh International Challenge at Shaheed Tajuddin Ahmed Indoor Stadium in Paltan.

For Polina, ranked 69th in the world, the emotional toll of the war remains immense.

As the Yonex-Sunrise Bangladesh International Challenge (YBIC) 2024 begins today, participants from 13 nations converge at Shaheed Tajuddin Ahmed Indoor Stadium in Dhaka. However, the country’s shuttlers are surprisingly entering the ranking tournament without optimum preparation.