Sudhir mahapure

Maharashtra Open Carrom Challenger: Gihan Chamara of Sri Lanka and (SRI) and Ibrahim Hujaan Ali of Maldives enjoyed smooth sailing cruising to victories in their respective first-round matches of the Maharashtra Open Carrom Challenger’s Trophy 2023-2024 being played here on Tuesday.

The Sri Lankan quickly settled down and charged to a quick 25-0, 25-12 win against India’s Sanjay Desai to advance to the second round of the Maharashtra Carrom Association (MCA)-organised Rs 7 lakh prize-money event being played at the Bharat Scouts & Guides Hall, Shivaji Park, Dadar on Tuesday.

On an adjacent board, Ali faced a bit of opposition from India’s Habiboddin S. Shaikh but managed to produce some brilliant efforts to carve out a deserving 23-13, 25-5 win to also move ahead.