“She showed great resilience by coming back from a game down in the round of 16 to stay on course.”
Sri Lanka’s national women’s badminton champion Ranithma Liyanage delivered one of the best performances of her career by finishing as the runner-up at the Welsh International Open 2025 in Cardiff.
The world No.113 shuttler, sponsored by the McLarens Group, enjoyed an impressive run to the final. She recorded four consecutive victories against strong international opponents. First, she opened her campaign with a commanding straight-games win over Natalia Slobodova, winning 21–8, 21–11.
Next, in the round of 16, Ranithma showed great determination. She came back from a game down to defeat Cecilia Wang 21–23, 21–13, 21–19. Then, she continued her fine form in the quarter-finals. She overcame England’s Freya Redfearn 24–22, 21–15 after a closely contested opening game.
After that, Ranithma secured her place in the final with a confident semi-final victory. She defeated Denmark’s Athene Lyduch Thornild 21–17, 21–15.
In the final, she faced Austria’s Wei Xu in a thrilling three-game contest. Ranithma lost the opening game 16–21. However, she responded strongly with a dominant 21–10 second game. The deciding game was closely fought. Eventually, Xu edged ahead to win 21–19.
Despite narrowly missing out on the title, Ranithma’s runner-up finish stands as a major achievement. Moreover, it highlights her rising stature in international badminton.