Bystec Holdings unveils SL’s first US Open-spec tennis courts at Royal College

Dr. Sukumar Nagendran inaugurates the Tennis Complex named after his late father P. Nagendran at the Royal College Colombo premises

First serve of the new tennis court by Dr. Sukumar Nagendran

Reputed high-quality, all-weather tennis court contractor Bystec Holdings Ltd. has unveiled Sri Lanka’s first US Open-spec tennis courts at the Royal College, Colombo.

This facility was gifted by Royal College Old Boys East Coast Foundation, USA (RCOBECF) with a generous donation by Dr. Suku Nagendran, a distinguished old boy from Royal College.

The newly established court was aptly named ‘P. Nagendran Tennis Complex’, honouring the memory of Dr. Suku Nagendran’s late father.

The project was envisioned, planned, supervised and executed by a group of fellow Royalists from the Group 96 batch.

Bystec Holdings also marked history, obtaining the exclusive rights to Laykold, the official surface brand of the US Open, to implement the same tournament-grade tennis court surfaces in Sri Lanka, giving players a more competitive edge. This project is the first of many to implement Laykold surfaces, according to the company.

Bystec Holdings Managing Director Boshan Dayaratne said: “I am very pleased and excited as we managed to get the exclusive rights for Laykold in Sri Lanka and Maldives, and it is commendable for us to introduce such an international brand in the country for the very first time.”

“As a former tennis player back in the mid-90s, the facilities that we had were not up to the international competition standards as we played on clay courts, which were especially rough to play on during adverse weather conditions. I am elated to be part of the force which brings the perfect balance of terrain and adaptability in all weather conditions to our country’s tennis players,” Dayaratne added. 

According to Bystec Holdings most available tennis courts in Sri Lanka are traditionally built with clay surfaces, which often don’t reflect the same consistency as hard courts. But most of the international tournaments are held on hard courts. It is important that our players get to practice on these international surfaces prior to participating in international tournaments. 

“Our objective of setting up Bystec Holdings is to support our players in this context. We have converted many clay tennis courts to hard surfaces during the past several years. Now, everyone can practice on the same competition-spec surface ahead of any tournament, without worrying about adverse weather, as even rainwater will disperse in no more than 5-10 minutes on the all-weather hard court,” Dayaratne said.

Bystec Holdings has been involved in tennis court design and construction for over 19 years, stands by its work and takes pride in meeting the design, scheduling, and budgetary requirements of clients. The company has already constructed over 65 outdoor arenas including tennis, basketball netball and volleyball courts all around the country.

Pix by Ruwan Walpola