The National Tennis Tournament is now in its final stages and despite the terrible weather conditions over the last few days, the weekend played host to matches from some of the key events including the men’s and women’s singles finals as well as the junior events.
Women’s singles- Amritha makes it six in a row
The women’s singles final between the reigning champion Amritha Muttiah and Thisuri Molligoda was played on Saturday. Muttiah entered the final as the strong favorite and put on a steady and confident display of Tennis in order to defeat Molligoda 6-4 6-0.
Although the first set was a close affair it was evident that Muttiah had far too much experience over the youngster Molligoda who was outclassed by the defending champions steady hitting from the base line. The win resulted in Muttiah claiming her sixth Women’s singles title in a row which is a remarkable achievement given the fact that she aims to play for many more years to come and if history is an indicator of what’s to come in the future then she is guaranteed to become one of the finest and most successful Tennis players the country has produced.
The Papare.com was able to catch up with the six time champion who stated the following. ‘All six titles have been very special but this win means a lot to me since I haven’t had much time to train as a result of my job, which has made me realize the importance of the quality of training as opposed to the quantity’. ‘This win wouldn’t have been possible if not for the support extended to me by my coach Sudantha Soyza and my hitting partners Dineshkanthan Thangarajah and Ashwin Vijayaragavan’ she reiterated.
Muttiah is also set to feature in the Women’s Doubles finals and the mixed doubles semi finals which are scheduled to take place on Monday (25th of August)
Men’s singles finals- Ashiq steals the show
The all important Men’s singles final which was played today (24th of August) was contested by the top seed Dineshkanthan Thangarajah and Heera Ashiq. Ashiq who hails from Pakistan prevailed in a four set thriller resulting in him being able to oust the defending champion with a score line reading 6-3 7-6(11-9) 6-7(1-7) 5-4 (Retired)
The first set was decided as a result of an elusive break of serve secured by Ashiq. The Pakistani player used his serve brilliantly resulting in him being able to win a lot of quick points enabling him to also save more energy and pressurize Dinesh’s serve. The strategy paid off as he went into a 5-3 lead, however as he was about to serve for the set the rains came down resulting in play being called off. Fortunately for the organizers order was restored as the sun shone down on the courts resulting in play commencing within an hour of the down pour. Ashiq continued from where he left off as he held serve with ease to take the first set 6-3.
The second set was a tight affair as both players held serve in order to push the set into a tie break. The tie break went down to the wire as the players engaged in fierce rallies from the base line in the early exchanges. However it was Ashiq who made a slight change to his game plan as he suddenly started to approach the net resulting in him being able to win a few quick points. The ploy seemed to have worked when he stood at 6-5 with a set point but Dinesh held his nerve in order to save the first of three set points Ashiq would have. The second set point Dinesh saved was courtesy a net chord which made everyone feel that the luck was on his side and it looked as if he would have the set in the bag when he had his own set point at 9-8. However Ashiq used his big forehand to save the set point and then went onto create yet another set point of his own. It was a case of third time lucky as a Thangarajah smash sailed wide resulting in a tie break score of 11-9 and most importantly a two set to love lead for the lad from Pakistan.
The third set went down the same road as the second set as both players served well to take the set into yet another tie break. The tie break had Thangarajah’s name written all over it as he played brilliant tennis to win the breaker 7-1 and force the match into a fourth set.
Fitness was going to be a major factor in the fourth set and it proved to be the case as Thangarajah was faced with severe cramps resulting in him having to retire hurt when the fourth set was poised at 5-4 in favor of Ashiq. Thangarajah’s retirement resulted in a tame ending to what had been an absolutely brilliant match. Nevertheless nothing should be taken away from Ashiq who put on an absolute master class as far as his own performance was concerned. His on court persona radiated confidence which grew with every strong serve and beautifully placed forehand. A special mention should also be made to his sportsman like conduct as he never failed to applaud any good shots that came off his opponent’s racquet.
Results from other events
Girls under 12 singles final
Anika Seneviratne beat Neyara Weerawansa 6-1 6-0.
Boys under 12 singles final
Ashen Silva beat Nelaka Dissanayake 6-0 6-1.
Boys under 14 doubles final
Avindra Perera and Yasith Rathnayaka beat Akith Gunawardena and Thevinda Piyadigama 6-3 6-1.
Women’s doubles semi finals
Nilushi Fernando and Amritha Muttiah beat Roshenka Fernando and Hasindhi Lokuge 6-2 6-3.
Thewuni Deveraja and Medira Samarasinghe received a walk over from Rukshana Abdeen and Oshani Wickremasinghe.
