The 101st Colombo Championship which is one of the two premiere ‘A’ grade ranking tournaments in the country will commence today at the Sri Lanka Tennis Association courts.
The most sought after tennis tournament in the country after the national championship, the 101st Colombo Championships is set to attract players from all around the country who will play the ranking tournament in a bid to be in the top seeded positions. The tournament that starts today will span over a duration of two weeks and will include players ranging from the age categories of under 10 to the open division with the veteran’s category included as well.
Speaking at the press conference held to announce the launch of the championships, Tournament Director Udith Wickremasinghe added that this time around, the tournament will allow junior players to participate in a maximum of three events including a doubles event. This will enable the tournament to run smoothly while also bolstering the competitiveness.
“There will also be players from Pakistan and Bangladesh participating in the tournament. They will be playing with the local players in the tournament and it will increase the competitiveness and improve the tournament’s standard” he added.
Photo Album – 101st Colombo Tennis Championship 2016 – Press Conference
The tournament played last year saw Indian national Ashwin Vijaragavan walking away with the Men’s Open title while 18-year-old Nethmi Waduge took the honour of winning the Women’s Open title. With the top seeds Yasitha De Silva, Dineshkanthan Thangarajah & Sanka Atukorale taking part in the Men’s Open, tough, competitive tennis can be expected.
The Women’s category will be no easy contest for the defending champion Nethmi Waduge with the likes of Amritha Muttiah, Thisuri Molligoda and Medhira Samarasinghe in the draw. The Open categories will commence next week followed by the veteran draws.
Vision Care opticians will come in as principal sponsors for the 101st edition while Perera & Sons and Ralham Trading will be the other partners for the tournament.
Speaking for the SLTA, President of the Playing Section Asoka Abeywardena added this about the partnership.
“I am grateful to Vision Care for coming as the principal sponsors for this event. With their sponsorship and the sponsorships of Perera & Sons & Ralham trading, I am confident that we will have a very successful championship”
