Record number of players for Clay Court Tennis Championship
The President of Sri Lanka Tennis Association (SLTA)Iqbal Bin Issack (third from left )receiving sponsorship cheque from HNB Head and Marketing Upul Adhikari at the press briefing held at Hotel Renuka Kollupitiya . Also in the picture from left Anupa Mathamagoda Tournament Director , Pradeep Gunasekara SLTA Secretary , Bharathi Pillai SLTA Head of Development and Ifham Ariff Managing partner Eventistry
The SLTA Clay Court Tennis Championship which started last Friday(11)has attracted a record number of 880 entries with star players returning to make their mark on the courts. This tournament will continue until March 27 and it will be conducted in five main categories Men, Women, Boys, Girls, and Veterans with the Open events being Men’s Singles and Doubles, Women’s Singles and Doubles, and Mixed Doubles. There will be four events for veterans. They are Over 35, Over 45, Over 55, and Over 65 years. Age Groups start from Under 12, 14, 16, and 18 for both boys and girls.
This year’s tournament is organized by the Sri Lanka Tennis Association (SLTA) alongside a line up of sponsors; Hatton National Bank (HNB) continues its long-standing partnership with the Clay Court Championship as the Title Partner for the 3rd year running. Eventistry Sports takes the position of Presenting Partner along with National Development Bank (NDB) and LCY as Associated Sponsors
A significant feature of this year’s SLTA tennis calendar is the introduction of the SLTA Super Series tournaments created to uplift and introduce an international format of tennis in the country. There are three tournaments in the Super Series calendar.
They are Clay Court Championships, Sri Lanka Nationals and the Colombo Tennis Championship which will culminate in a year-end tournament called the Aces. T he competition conducted on 11 clay courts at the SLTA and we using ITF (International Tennis Federation) certified local umpires from the quarter-final onwards. The Tournament Referee will be Manoj Fonseka,” said SLTA Tournament Director Anupa Mathamagoda.
The finals for the Men’s and Women’s Singles are scheduled to take place on March 26 th and will be a keen tussle .
Regarding the country’s health protocols Tournament Director Mathamagoda said “Players and spectators have to follow the current health guidelines.
There won’t be shaking of hands between players who are required to maintain social distance. Umpires will be wearing masks when they come down from the chair to speak to players. Spectators are also requested to wear masks and maintain to social distancing”.
In addition, this year’s tournament promises more entertainment and food options than previous years with the addition of the Good Market and an Open Mic stage at the SLTA Carpark on March 26th catering to all players, families and fans.