Tennis nationals with a difference

Richard DWIGHT

The 94th Sri Lanka Tennis Nationals starts on August 29 and concludes on Sunday, September 13, at the Sri Lanka Tennis Association (SLTA) courts.

This year's championship is significant in that unlike in the past, where matches in the singles were restricted to 3 sets, it will now be played over 5 sets.

It's considered a step in the right direction to fall in line with international norms, whereby standards could be improved by playing for longer duration and, be so physically geared for the oncoming Davis Cup tie in February 2010.

This was gathered from the President of the SLTA Maxwell at a media briefing held on Wednesday at the SLTA.

Maxwell was pleased to announce that the Global Kitchen and bath leader, Kohler Company is sponsoring the nationals, with the promise of the company doing so in the future as well. The balls for the ongoing Junior Nationals and for this senior championship, is being provided by Dunlop Slazenger Company who are represented in Sri Lanka by Ralhum Trading Co. Pvt Ltd.

Pashupati Kundu, the Kohler Regional Sales Manager revealed that it was the first time his company was sponsoring a sport in Sri Lanka and was confident that they would be sponsoring the event right upto the SLTA's centenary year in 2015. The chairman of Infotechs, Susantha Pinto, initiated the launch of SLTA's website.

There will be around 250 vying for championship honours. The open events will be the Men's/Women's open singles and doubles, and mixed doubles, the usual veterans events ie, over 40, mixed doubles, mixed doubles, Men's over 45 singles and doubles, Men's over 55 singles and doubles, Men's over 65 singles and doubles and the Men's over 70 doubles.

There will be the over 35 singles and doubles as well and events too for wheelchair tennis players. The draw will consist of 32 players the rest will fall into the qualifying rounds.

The prize money has been increased by 40% as compared with last year's nationals in some of the events. The Main Contenders are last year's champion Harshana Godamanna seeded No. 1 and the seeded Rajeev Rajapakse, with Halwarts Rohan de Silva, Jayendra Wijesekera and Dinesh Kanathan in the fray.