Janali, Medhira and Anika do well in their under 18 ties
In the first two days of the 101st Senior and Junior National Tennis Tournament conducted by the Sri Lanka Tennis Association (SLTA), witnessed some superb tennis from the Juniors at the Greenpath.
The matches that caught the eye of the spectators were in the Girls under 18 Singles, where top seeds Janali Manamperi, Medhira Samarasinghe and Anika Seneviratne who made short work of their opponents.
Janali, who is very strong in her volleys and forehand play outclassed Sathi Silva 6-1 6-2. Medhira, another talented youngster with her strong serving and backhand play defeated Seranya Karunaratne 6-0, 6-0. Then promising Anika with some fine ground stroke and strong serving defeated Prabuddhi Perera 6-3,6-3.
Of the Boys in the under 18 Singles, Vikum Rajapakse with his power pack serving completely unsettled his opponent Jerique Rajapakse 6-4, 6-4.
A total of 28 matches were played. Besides there was eight walkovers also.
The SLTA boasts of a proud history of over 100-years, and is Asia’s second oldest Tennis association. This tournament has attracted more Senior and Junior players every year with players from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh vying for honours as well. This time, the SLTA has received close to 1,000 entries, belying the keen interest shown by local and foreign players.
All the Junior and Open events are expected to be played on grass and clay courts, while the veterans events will be played on the clay courts.