COLOMBO: (ePRESS) – The 109th National Tennis Championship, organized by the Sri Lanka Tennis Association (SLTA), begins tomorrow (August 16) with a record participation of nearly 1,200 players. The tournament, which will run until September 1, will see its finals held at the SLTA Headquarters.
Due to the overwhelming number of participants, SLTA has had to expand the qualifying rounds to outside venues. Qualifying matches will be played across three venues: SLTA, SSC, and the Police courts. Once the qualifying rounds conclude, the knockout stages will be held at the SLTA.
“We have received close to 1,200 entries this time, which is why we’re utilizing three venues. After the qualifying rounds, all matches will shift to SLTA,” said SLTA President Iqbal Bin Issack.
This year, SLTA has secured several sponsors, with HNB as the co-sponsor, Turbo (co-sponsor) as the energy drink partner, and Head Sport as a main sponsor. “A few more sponsors have also come forward to support this year’s Nationals. We’re looking to host it successfully with their help,” added Issack.
Defending champion Dinara de Silva from St. Bridget’s Convent, who won the Women’s Open Singles, Under-18, and Under-16 titles last year, will return to compete. Anjalika Kurera, a two-time former national champion who was the runner-up in the Women’s Singles, will also be in the competition.
However, the women’s field will be notably weaker this year as Dinara de Silva, along with Women’s Doubles Champions Rukshika Wijesooriya and Hasali Gajaba, are recovering from the dengue virus they contracted during the Billie Jean King Cup in Malaysia last month.
Additionally, Saajida Razik and Dinethya Dharmarathna will not participate this year as they are currently pursuing college tennis in the USA.
In the men’s singles, the main contenders are the three Davis Cup players: Apna Perera, Thehan Wijemanne, and Ashen Silva. Notably, Chathurya Nilaweera is not competing in singles this year.
In the Men’s Open Doubles, the competition is set to be intriguing. Thehan Wijemanne and Chathurya Nilaweera have reached the finals for four consecutive years. They won in 2020 and 2023, and were runners-up in the other two years.
Yasitha de Silva has also made it to the finals for the past four years with different partners. He won in 2021 with Dineshkanthan Thangarajah and in 2022 with Dilvan Herath. In 2023, Thehan Wijemanne and Chathurya Nilaweera, who lost to Yasitha de Silva and Dilvan Herath in 2022, triumphed over them.
This year, Chathurya Nilaweera and Thehan Wijemanne are not partnering. Instead, Chathurya is teaming up with Apna Perera, Yasitha de Silva is playing with Dilvan Herath, and Thehan Wijemanne is joining forces with his sibling Methvan.
In mixed doubles, Thehan Wijemanne has been dominant, winning the past three years. He secured victories in 2021 and 2022 with Anjalika Kurea and in 2023 with Janali Manamperi. This year, he is partnered with Dinara de Silva.
