Sri Lanka’s top-notch tennis duos, Apna Perera and Tuvini de Alwis (mixed doubles), Tuvini de Alwis and Biyanka Acquistapace (women’s doubles), and the Wijemanne brothers (Thehan and Methwan – men’s doubles), showcased a stunning performance and unwavering commitment to clinch the SLTA–YETI Hard Court Tennis Open Championships.
This is one of the calendar highlights in tennis, and this National Championship event concluded on the SLTA hard courts in Green Path, Colombo, during the last week. The tournament was well organised by the Sri Lanka Tennis Association, and YETI Isotonic (Sri Lanka’s number 1 sports beverage) proved again their willingness and commitment to uplift the game on the island.
>>Apna and Annaya clinched SLTA – YETI Hard Court National titles<<
Mixed Doubles Final (Open)
During the final of this artistic event, the national champion Apna Perera coupled with another experienced female player, Tuvini de Alwis, and fought against a high-riding combination of Dhilwan Herath and Yuhansa Peiris.
The opening set saw both pairs compete in a heated battle from the start. Though Apna and Tuvini looked favourites to win, Herath and Peiris resisted well, and they edged ahead with their swift attack and tactical play to clinch the set at the tiebreak stage with 07–06 points.
There was a close tussle in the second set, and during the initial game round, the losing pair, Apna and Tuvini displayed some signs of resurgence. After an intense battle, the second set also went for a tie-breaking session. At the end, Apna and Tuvini fought hard and held their nerve to clinch the victory of the set with 07 – 05 points and squared the final battle.
During the crucial third and final set, Apna and Tuvini managed to carry forward their fine rhythm displayed at the end of the previous set. While opponents took the upper hand in the game, Herath and Yuhansa tried their best to get into the contest again. But the experience of Apna and Tuvini was pivotal, and they executed their game plan to clinch the final set with 10 – 03 points by completing a 02 – 01 victory to claim the national title.
In the semifinals, the champion duo powered past high-riding Annaya Norbet and Lithum Jayabandu, who had won singles titles with a 02 – 00 set victory (as 06 – 00 and 06 – 02 points).
Men’s Doubles Final (Open)
After some tough battles the Royalist brothers, Methvan Wijemanne and Thehan Wijemanne reached the final along with Wenuka Delkandure and Anujaya Abeywickrama. From the start, the Wijemanne brothers showcased an excellent synergy between them and gave a hard time for the opposition players. The pair bagged the first set with a dominating performance of 06 – 02 points, while the second set also went in favour of the Wijemanne brothers with a 06 – 01 scoreline to clinch the championship.
During the Men’s Open semi-finals, the champion duo beat another champion player, Apna Perera, and Dilvan Herath with a couple of straight-set victories (06-04 and 06-04 points). In the other semifinal, the runners-up duo, Anuja and Wenuka, beat Binuka Silva and Sandas Usgodaarachchi after a hard-fought battle (with 07-06 and 06-04 points).
Women’s Doubles Final (Open)
During the final, which was reserved for the ladies, Tuvini de Alwis and Biyanka Acquistapace had faced a tough challenge from the champion players Annaya Norbert and Vinethya Dharmaratne.
During the first set, both pairs fought hard with determination but made several errors in the meantime. The match brought the spectators onto the edge of their seats as the set moved to a crucial tie-breaking stage. But the experienced Tuvini and Biyanka handled the pressure and the situation well to earn a much more important point to take the upper hand in the final. The heat of the game even carried into the second set as well, and another close tussle was displayed. But again, the combination of Tuvini and Biyanka came better off to the challenge from Annaya and Vinethya to clinch the title with a 02 – 00 sets victory (as 07 – 06 and 06 – 04 points).
, Tuvini de Alwis and Biyanka Acquistapace (women’s doubles), and the Wijemanne brothers (Thehan and Methwan – men’s doubles), showcased a stunning performance and unwavering commitment to clinch the SLTA–YETI Hard Court Tennis Open Championships.){kind=link}