Nimble-footed Silva outclasses Gunasekera
Revatha Silva reached into a deep bag of tennis trickery, utilising deft strokes and clever angles to outwit and outclass Supun De Vas Gunasekara and fashion a 6-1, 6-1 victory, which secured him the Men’s Mercantile Tennis Championship second division title, at the Sri Lanka Tennis Association yesterday.
Revatha Silva claimed the Men’s Second Division crown. - Pic by Amila Gamage
Silva was the more nimble of the two men and used his superior movement to meet the ball early and measure his strokes. As a result, he often pelted the ball towards Gunasekara at uncomfortable heights and angles.
After racing away with the opening set 6-2 in a matter of minutes, Silva dispensed much of the same punishment in the second set. It was not long before the warning lights of an approaching rout began to burn brightly as looping forehands flew off Silva’s racquet and caught the line at impossible angles. When the end did come, with the set sealed at 6-1 once again, Gunasekara could only sigh and applaud the efforts of an opponent who had his number from the opening ball toss.
In the day’s other games Arjun Fernando and Nirmala Fernando dominated and disposed of Siva Sivaganeshan and Vidyani Tharangi 6-0, 6-0 to win their Mixed Doubles semifinals. Nirmala Fernando repeated her strong play in the Women’s Singles to storm into the finals with a 6-1, 6-1 triumph over Dhanushi Warnakulasuriya and setup a meeting with Thiyumi Abeysinghe.