Medhira plays to title quartet at SL Tennis Nationals and Junior Nationals

Wednesday, 3 September 2014 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Medhira Samarasinghe ended her campaign on a high note by bagging four titles at the 99th Sri Lanka National and Junior National Tennis Championships, worked off at the SLTA hard courts in Colombo.

Earlier in the tournament, the 15-year-old Ladies’ College student won the Girls’ Under 16 Singles title beating Hasindhi Lokuge 6/2 and 6/1. This was followed by a convincing 6/3, 6/0 win over the fancied Nethmi Waduge in the plum Under 18 Singles and was crowned the newest Sri Lanka Junior National Tennis Champion. In the nationals, Medhira partnered with Thewuni Devaraja to emerge winner in the Woman’s Open Doubles beating top-seed Amritha Muttiah and Nilushi Fernando 3/6, 6/1, 6/3. Medhira and Thewuni won the doubles in 2013 as well. She continued her good form and ended the Championships on the final day by clinching her fourth title by partnering Sanka Athukorale in the Open Mixed Doubles and overcoming the Number 1 seed duo of Dineshkanthan Thangarajah and Amritha Muttiah 6/4, 3/6, 6/2. Medhira, who was the youngest member of Sri Lanka’s Fed Cup Tennis Team 2014 which went to Kazakhstan, is a member of the Hambantota Sports Club and is coached by Shalini Perera and Sanka Athokorale. She emerges from an extended family of tennis players. Her Great Grandmother Nedra Obeysekera (de Saram) was the country’s first Woman’s National Tennis Champion (1934) and her Aunt Oosha Chanmugam (Nee de Saram) won the Woman’s Championships in 1971. Medhira’s Great-great-grand uncle E.R. De Saram was the first Ceylonese Men’s National Tennis Champion (1919). Her Great-great-grandfather F. C. De Saram (1925) and Great Grand Uncle F. J. De Saram (1941, 1947 & 1950) also won the Men’s Championships.