The Men’s Singles defending champion, 21-year-old Sharmal Dissanayake retained his national title for the second year running when he defeated Sanka Atukorale in the final that was played at the Sri Lanka Tennis Association playing courts yesterday (12th).
The Men’s Singles national title is the silverware that decides the best in the country and going in as defending champion, Dissanayake had an easy stint in the Men’s Singles draw making his way to the finals.
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Confronting Sanka Atukorale, Sharmal had it easy, winning the final 6-0, 6-0 to successfully retain the title he won last year.
The Davis Cup player for Sri Lanka Sharmal Dissanayake was brimming with confidence going into the 102nd national championship and was a different Dissanayake on the court in comparison to last year’s final. He looked more composed and settled and cruised to a win.
The former Royal College player defeated Rustom Ali in the semifinals 6-1, 6-0 to make it to the finals and incidentally, Ali was the only player who had the privilege of winning a single point against the strong Dissanayake. Dissanayake won every other match from round 1 straight sets 6-0, 6-0.
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Last year’s runner-up in the singles, Yasitha De Silva had to be contempt with a semifinal finish losing out to Atukorale 6-2, 7-6(4).
With the open titles finding rightful owners, the 102nd Nationals are onto its final week to decide who takes home the rest of the junior and senior titles.
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