Greatness will unfold in the epistles of the racket sport on the 14th of August when the Sri Lanka Tennis Association courts will open up for the ultimate quest of finding the best of the best in the sport for the 100th occasion.
The Sri Lanka Senior and Wheelchair nationals will see a start tomorrow for its hundredth occasion to decide the legitimate contenders for the best in the country. A total of 153 players will make their way to the centenary nationals with hopes of being crowned to be the best in the country. A total of 15 titles will be on offer in Sri Lanka’s premiere ranking national tournament which includes the elusive Mens Singles, Womens Singles & the Wheelchair singles.
For the second time running, the Sri Lankan nationals run will have the likes of the subcontinent talent from the neighboring countries of Pakistan and Bangladesh competing for the silverware. Incidentally the defending national title holder of the premiere title of the country, Heera Ashiq hails from Pakistan.
With the level of competitiveness increasing year by year, this year’s national title run will be one of the toughest challenges that the players face and it will be battle of perseverance which will take a single individual to glory.
Heera Ashiq will find it a challenge to hold on to the silverware which he won last season as the Sri Lankan heavyweights Dineshkanthan, Sharmal Dissanyaka & Sanka Atukorale will all be eyeing to keep the title in home soil. Alongside Heera Ashiq will be his brother Thanveer Ashiq as well as Delwa Hussain from Bangladesh in the main draw. The homeboy and four time national title holder Dineshkanthan Thangarajah will be wanting add another title to his trophy cabinet this year and will be the key player to look out.
The Sri Lankan Davis cup player and ATP ranked player Sharmal Dissanayaka will also be another competitor on the race to the national title while second seed Sanka Atukorale will be the other. All three of them are the most experienced in the racket game in the country and it will be a matchup between the cream of the country in this upcoming open singles.
The Womens open singles will be the other title to add to the watch list as this year’s run will be one of the closest ever. The household name in women’s tennis, Amritha Muttaiah will have to expect heavy competition this year from the Visakhian duo; Thisuri Molligoda and Nethmi Waduge. Amritha who currently shares the top ranking position with the eighteen year old Molligoda will be eyein victory in order to hold on to the top spot.
The up and coming force of the tennis arena, Nethmi Waduge will be the other player to keep an eye as she has already turned tables from the very beginning of this 2015 season. Winning the women’s open in the 100th Colombo Championships beating Amritha Muttaiah could be termed as the upset of the year but the question that runs through everyone’s head is whether the young Nethmi Waduge will be able to repeat her Colombo Championships cameo this time as well.
It is a pleasing sight to see the junior players such as Anika Seneviratne, Medhira Samarasinghe & Prabudhi Perera also signing up to play in the top tier tournament which gives indication of a prosperous future for the racket sport in the country.
The 14th of August will also give the green light for the start of the Wheelchair nationals. Defending champion in the wheelchair segment, Gamini Dissanayaka is set to be the viable candidate for the title but his plans can only be ruined by the veteran Upali Dissanayake. It has been a while since Upali last won a national title and the world seed player will want to take home another for list of trophies this year.
There cannot be any other national title as close as this year’s run. With less than 24 hours to go for the beginning of a dauntless challenge, the decision will come down to the final days of the tournament to witness who will be taking the crown in the 100th National championships.
