Tennis: 101st National Championship in full swing

The 13th day of the 101st National Tennis Championship will continue at the Sri Lanka Tennis Association courts at Greenpath in Colombo, with a fleet of matches to be played as Avindra Perera, Medhira Samarasinghe and partners Janali Manamperi and Anya Gunawardene won titles in the Under-18 age category. 

A total of 51 round robin games were on the cards to be completed as at Saturday (13), under different categories ranging from Junior to Veterans, while action is set to continue until next Sunday (21). 

In the Boys Under 18 Junior National Championship final, Avindra Perera dominated over Aadavan Pushparaj to clinch this year's title. 

Avindra, the number one seeded player with powerful serves and forehand play defeated the number two seed Aadavan 7-5 6-4. 

Medhira Samarasinghe, became the Girls Under 18 Junior National Champion, with a sterling come back performance when she over powered 14-year old talented Anika Seneviratne 3-6 6-2 6-1 in the finals. 

Medhira was stunned in the first setter by Anika Seneviratne, who with her powerful forehand and backhand play, took the game away from her opponent. 

But Anika could not carry on the winning momentum in the next two sets as Medhira, came back to dominate over her rival by powerful serves, drop shots and strong volleys that unsettled her opponent. 

Anika was seeded number one and Medhira, a national player was seeded fourth in the tournament. 

In the Girls Under 18 Double final, Janali Manamperi partnered by Anya Gunawardena defeated their rivals Nathasha Munaweera and Sathi Silva 6-2 6-3. 

The winning duo unsettled their partners with powerful forehand play and overhead smashes.