By Hishan Welmilla
Sri Lanka suffered their first defeat at the 2026 Asian Netball Championship, going down 62–51 to Singapore in their second group-stage encounter in Hong Kong.
After holding hosts Hong Kong to a 57–57 draw in their opening match yesterday, Sri Lanka entered the Singapore game with confidence and hopes of securing their first victory of the tournament. However, despite a strong start, Sri Lanka were unable to maintain their momentum as Singapore gradually took control of the contest.
Sri Lanka made a positive beginning and finished the opening quarter with a 17–10 advantage, giving themselves an encouraging seven-goal lead. Their disciplined play and accurate shooting allowed them to dictate the early exchanges, while Singapore struggled to match Sri Lanka’s intensity.
However, the momentum changed dramatically in the second quarter. Singapore responded with an outstanding 24–8 period, completely turning the game around. Sri Lanka’s attack began to lose its rhythm, while Singapore capitalised on mistakes and converted their opportunities with greater consistency. At halftime, Singapore had moved into a commanding 34–25 lead.
Sri Lanka attempted to recover after the interval, but Singapore continued to control the game. The third quarter ended 22–14 in Singapore’s favour, extending their advantage to 56–39 heading into the final period. With an 17-goal lead, Singapore were firmly in control and Sri Lanka faced a difficult task to produce another comeback.
Sri Lanka showed greater determination in the final quarter and outscored Singapore 15–12. However, the late fightback was not enough to overturn the damage caused during the second and third quarters. Singapore eventually secured a convincing 62–51 victory, leaving Sri Lanka to reflect on another match in which missed opportunities and inconsistency proved costly.
The defeat comes just a day after Sri Lanka narrowly missed out on a famous victory against hosts Hong Kong. Sri Lanka and Hong Kong battled to a thrilling 57–57 draw in their opening group match, with both sides sharing the points after a closely fought contest.
That result had given Sri Lanka an encouraging start to their Asian Championship campaign, but the loss to Singapore means the Sri Lankan team must now regroup quickly ahead of their remaining group fixtures.
The match also highlighted the importance of maintaining consistency throughout all four quarters at the highest level of Asian netball. Sri Lanka demonstrated their potential during the opening quarter, but Singapore’s dominant second period proved decisive.
With the tournament continuing in Hong Kong, Sri Lanka will now look to learn from their mistakes and return stronger in their next match. After showing flashes of quality against both Hong Kong and Singapore, the challenge for Sri Lanka will be to produce that level of performance consistently across an entire 60-minute contest.
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