SSC Open Ranking Tennis Championship begins
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The Singhalese Sports Club (SSC) announced the First Capital SSC Open Ranking Tennis Championship 2023, which started off from January 6 at the SSC Tennis Complex in Colombo. The competition will be played until January 21. The championship is conducted annually under the auspices of the Sri Lanka Tennis Association and is organized by the SSC Tennis House Committee.SSC Open, the country’s first and the most popular tennis tournament of the year, has already drawn more than 700 entries for more than 25 events with over 700 matches covering all age groups, from Under-12 to Over-35. The championships comprise Girls’ and Boys’ events for those Under-12 to Under-18 in Singles and Doubles, Men’s and Women’s Singles and Doubles, Mixed Doubles, and Veterans events for those Over-35, Over-45 and Over-55 age groups.
“The SSC Open Ranking championship was initially held in the 1980s and was revived in the late 1990s. We were able to provide many unique features at the SSC Open, which continues to this day. Highest prize money inclusive of equal prize money for Men and Women, chair umpires for all matches, live TV coverage of finals, and an extremely player friendly environment. These have made the SSC Open the most eagerly awaited tennis ranking championship in the Sri Lankan tennis scene. We have seen Arjun Fernando, Harshana Godamanne, Umesh Wallopillai, Jayendra Wijesekera, Rohan de Silva, Franklin Emmanuel, Sharmal Dissanayake, and many others who have represented Sri Lanka with distinction, excel at the SSC Open over the years. This consistent excellence in maintaining high standards was rewarded by the SLTA with the SSC Open being placed as a category 1 ranking tournament,” stated Vasantha Wijesekara, SSC’s Honorary Secretary.
Similar to last year, cash prizes for open category winners with gift certificates from Perera and Sons, trophies, and certificates will be awarded to the winners and runners-up.
“This is one of the few ranking tournaments in Sri Lanka that is much looked forward to by players and the tennis community alike. The championship is a platform for our players not only to progress in their rankings but a very competitive tournament that brings out the best among the participating players. We are delighted to be in partnership with First Capital Holdings, our title partner, to support the championship in 2023. It is also significant to state that the First Capital SSC Open Ranking Tennis Championship was upgraded to a category 1 tournament this year by the Sri Lanka Tennis Association. The number of entries this year too, is impressive as we look forward to some great tennis at the very start of the year,” chairman of the Tennis House Committee of SSC, Suriya Bibile, commented.
Last year’s tournament was one of the most prominent tennis tournaments in Sri Lanka, which attracted similar number of entries from across the country. Winners of the women’s and men’s singles finals of 2022 will be participating in the event this year. First Capital Holdings marks its second consecutive year of title sponsorship of the championship, while HEAD-3G Sports continues to be the official ball sponsor. Perera and Sons, and Diesel and Motor Engineering, also continue to support the championship as the co-sponsors, while Yeti Hydration is the official hydration partner.
Aruna Seneviratne and Chammika de Silva will be the tournament directors, while Mufaddal Hazari, an International Federation qualified official, will be the tournament referee. Similar to last year’s finals, the Ladies’ and Gentlemen’s singles finals will be streamed live, opening space for Sri Lankans living in and outside the country to follow the matches online.