Dineshkanthan and Waduge ace Colombo Championship

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Budding tennis sensation, Nethmi Waduge, who is just 14 years of age, won a double while Sri Lanka’s top seed Dineshkanthan

Aadavan Pushparaj won the Under 14 boys title

Thangarajah pocketed two titles at the 98th Colombo Tennis Championship, which was held over a week at the Sri Lanka Tennis Association (SLTA) courts in Colombo.

Nethmi, a student of Visakha Vidyalaya Colombo, stamped her class by winning the Women’s Singles Open and the Under 16 category while emerging runner-up in the Under 18 age group next to Thisuri Molligoda in the final. Nethmi beat Roshenka Fernando in the Women’s Open final after overcoming Thewuni Devaraja in the Under-16 final during a busy weekend in July. Women’s Singles Open rivals Nethmi and Roshenka teamed up to reach the Women’s Doubles final but lost to eventual winners Shalini de Silva and Amritha Muttiah. Nethmi won the Sriya Munasinghe Challenge Trophy for winning the Open Singles.

Meanwhile Sri Lanka’s number one Thangarajah (22), a former student of St. Michael’s College Batticaloa and St. Peter’s College Colombo, won the Airtel Senior Player of the Tournament trophy for his outstanding performance during the tournament.

Chehan Fernando, claiming the Under 18 boys title

Thangarajah beat Amresh Jayawickrema to win the Men’s Singles Open title in the main event of the competition. Thangarajah and Amresh earlier paired up to clinch the Men’s Doubles Open title, beating Sankha Atukorala and Delwar Hossain in the final.Thangarajah was awarded the A.C. Gunaratne Challenge Trophy for winning the Men’s Singles championship. Heera Ashiq and Amritha Muttiah teamed up to beat Amresh Jayawickrema and Roshenka Fernando to clinch the Mixed Open Doubles title.

Meanwhile, Chehan Fernando beat Avishka Perera to win the Boys’ Under 18 Singles. Chehan claimed a double by also winning the Boys’ Under-16 Singles title after beating B. Suren in the final. Chehan was adjudged the Airtel Junior Player of

Chehan Fernando, junior player of the tournament

the Tournament. In the Under 16 Boys’ Doubles final, Amanda Gunawardena and Nadir Nazar paired up to beat Niroshan Fernando and Archana Lokuge.
Aadavan Pushparaj too claimed a double when he won the Under-14 Boys’ Singles and Doubles titles. Aadavan beat Avindra Perera in the Singles final and played alongside Andrew Muttiah to beat Anarga Peiris and Jericque Rajapakse in the Doubles final.

Medhira Samarasinghe pocketed a double in the Girls’ Under-14 age category as she clinched the Singles Open title by beating Rukshika Wijesuriya in the final. She then got together with her Singles rival to beat Piyumi Wickremasinghe and Umeshi Ranaweera to win the Girls’ Doubles title.

Ashen Silva won the Boys’ Under-12 Singles championship after beating Manal Algama in the final as Prabuddhi Perera won the Girls’ Under-12 Singles title beating Sethara Ambawatte. The tournament was organised and conducted by the SLTA under the patronage of the main sponsors Bharthi Airtel. – NA

Chehan Fernando, claiming the Under 18 boys title	Dineshkanthan Thangarajah, the mens open champions
Nethmi Wague, the womens open champion	Prabuddhi Perera won the Under 12 girls championship
Thisuri Molligoda who won the Under 18 girls championship	womens double champions, Shalini de Silva and Amritha Muttiah