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| Sunday, 15 August 2004 |
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French tourist shatters Emmanuel's tennis dream by Lal Gunasekera Whatever dreams defending champion Franklyn Emmanuel had of winning the men's singles title for the third consecutive year were shattered by a touring Paris school teacher, Vincent Liegard at the 89th National Championships of the Sri Lanka Tennis Association (SLTA) at the National Tennis Centre (NTC) in Greenpath. This is being sponsored by Lafarge Cement. The 29-year-old Liegard, who qualified to the main draw of the men's singles had a comfortable straight sets 6-4, 6-2 win over Emmanuel in the semi-final. The Frenchman's power and speed proved too much for the young 16-year-old Emmanuel, who is a Davis Cup player. Liegard is on a two-week holiday in Sri Lanka, which is certainly going to be a memorable occasion if he wins tomorrow's final, weather permitting against second seeded Harshana Godamanne who won his semi-final also in straight sets 6-3, 6-4 over third seeded Rohan de Silva, a former champion who continues to play for the country in the Davis Cup. Liegard is ranked only in the 80s back in France, and if he does win the title will carry away Rs. 25,000 prize money. Yet another French national, 19-year-old Udanthi Narahenpitage, born to Sri Lankan parents and an undergraduate, is in the final of the women's open singles. She brushed aside 13-year-old Jithmi Jayawickreme, who on Thursday created a major upset by beating defending champion Taiyumi Abyesinghe in a near three-hour three setter, to set up a meeting with Shalini de Silva today. Narahenpitage, who is a granddaughter of former motor racing "ace" Chandra de Costa, beat Jithmi Jayawickreme 6-0, 6-3. Earlier, at the Junior Nationals, Mahesha Seneviratne of Bishop's College won the girls's under-18 singles title beating bottom seeded Thiyumi Abeysinghe of Visakha in straight sets 6-2, 6-4. Amitha Muttiah won the girl's under-14 singles title beating Shenali Weerasekere in a three setter 4-6, 6-3, 6-1, while Yasodhara Karunaratne beat I. Abeywickreme in straight sets 6-2, 6-1 to win the girl's under-10 singles with Sharmal Dissanayake having an easy 6-0, 6-0 passage over Alex Fairbanks to take the boy's title. Hewakottage won the boy's under-14 singles title beating Thangarajah in a three setter 5-7, 6-0, 6-4, while the boy's under-16 singles final will be between Cooray and Sabanathan to beat Wijesuriya (7-5, 6-4) and Rajaratnam (6-3, 6-2) respectively in the semi-finals. Amrith Rupasinghe and Wijemanne beat Wijesuriya and Cooray 6-1, 6-1 to enter the final of the boy's under-18 doubles in which Sabanathan and Sivendran beat Athukorale and Wickremesinghe 6-2, 6-0 to enter the final. The prize distribution which was scheduled for today has been postponed for August 22 at the SLTA. |
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