The 100th National Tennis Championships will see light from the August with the active participation of over 600 participants competing for the national title in different categories at the Sri Lanka Tennis Association playing section.
The 100th edition of the national title which coincides with the centenary of the Sri Lanka Tennis Association is expected to be a glamorous occasion with the inclusion of players from around the country. Speaking at the tournament press conference held at the SLTA playing section yesterday, President of the SLTA Mr. Iqbal Bin Isack mentioned that they have received a record number of entries this time for the national championships and it accounts to a rough 600 as the deadline for the applications is yet to come.
The tournament will be worked off in two stages starting from the Junior Nationals and then later progressing on to the senior and wheelchair titles. The Junior Nationals will commence on the 7th of August 2015 at the SLTA courts from the under 10 age group to the under 18 category and is expected to conclude on the 13th of August.
By the conclusion of the junior titles, the stage will be set for the highly anticipated nationals which will commence on the 14th. Defending title holder and Pakistani national Heera Ashiq will be eyeing his second national title on Sri Lankan soil this year while the prospective Nethmi Waduge will be looking to give the veteran Amritha Muttiah good competition for the Women’s open title.
Four-time national champion Dineshkanthan Thangarajah will face a massive test in the upcoming title run with him requiring to fight his way through foreign prospective if he intends to make it another under his name. The other prospects for the Men’s open are Sharmal Dissanayaka and Sanka Atukoarale.
Airtel Sri Lanka will continue their sponsorship to Tennis as main sponsor while Standard Chartered Bank will be the co-sponsor. Dunlop will be the official ball used in the tournament while ThePapare.com will empower the 100th National Championships as Online Media partner.
Wimbledon doubles champion and top seed of the Women’s doubles Sania Mirza graced the occasion with her presence at the press conference to share her thoughts.
