A host of matches on 10th day of National Tennis Championship
View(s):The tenth day of the 101st National Tennis Championship will continue at the Sri Lanka Tennis Association (SLTA) courts at Greenpath in Colombo, with a fleet of matches to be played as Avindra Perera, Medhira Samarasinghe and partners Janali Manamperi and Anya Gunawardene won titles in the Under-18 age category.
Fifty one round robin games were on the cards to be completed as at yesterday, under different categories ranging from Junior to Veterans, while action is set to continue today until next Sunday.
In the Boys Under-18 Junior National Championship final, Avindra Perera dominated over Aadavan Pushparaj to clinch this year’s title. Avindra, the top seed player with powerful serves and forehand play defeated the No.2 Aadavan 7-5 and 6-4.
Medhira Samarasinghe, became the Girls Under-18 Junior National Champion, with a sterling come-back performance when she overpowered 14-year-old, talented Anika Seneviratne 3-6, 6-2 and 6-1 in the finals. Medhira was stunned in the first setter by Anika, who with her powerful forehand and backhand play, to take the game away from her opponent. But Anika could not carry on the winning momentum in the next two sets as Medhira, came back to dominate over her rival by powerful serves, drop shots and strong volleys that unsettled her opponent. Anika was seeded No.1 and Medhira, a national player was seeded fourth in the tournament.
In the Girls Under-18 Doubles final, Janali Manamperi partnered by Anya Gunawardena defeated their rivals Nathasha Munaweera and Sathi Silva 6-2 and 6-3. The winning duo unsettled their partners with powerful forehand play and overhead smashes.
- NK