Wellalage wins U-17 singles title at 38th Junior National Badminton Championships

Pulina Wellalage of St. Sebastian’s College, Moratuwa yesterday cinched the U-17 Boys Singles title at the 38th Junior Nationals, organised by Sri Lanka Badminton (SLB) and currently underway in Colombo.

Wellalage, the younger brother of National Cricketer Dunith beat Thilina Rajakaruna in straight sets (21-10, 21-16) in the final to lift the title.

The 70th Senior National Championships and the Junior Nationals are currently underway at the Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium, SLB and the Mercantile Badminton Association courts to accommodate the large number of entries which surpasses 1700 shuttles from all parts of the country.

In the Under-11 Boys Singles final, Prithish Abeysiri Gunawardane of Richmond College beat Nesandu Kapukotuwa of Dharmaraja College, Kandy in straight sets (21-4, 21-14), while the Under-13 Boys Singles title was won by Hasandu Fernando from St. Sebastian’s College, Moratuwa who beat Amavan Amarasinghe of Lyceum College, Panadura in straight sets (21-6, 21-11) in the final.

The semi-finals of the Open Championship will be played today at the Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium while the finals will be played on Sunday.