Sports

Tennis champ Yasitha says there were no shortcuts to success

Published

5 years ago

2022/01/5

By a Special Sports Correspondent

Yasitha de Silva reached another milestone in his tennis career when he bagged the Men’s Open Singles event at the ongoing Sri Lanka Tennis Nationals in Colombo.

This is his second Singles ‘crown’ in tennis. Looking back at his win the champ says that playing tennis at a competitive level is tough given that he has to balance duties at his place of employment-MAS Holdings.

Yasitha is one player who took his education as seriously as the sport he chose for himself. And he credits his parents for showing him the importance of having a sound education.

While playing tennis he completed his degree at the University of Colombo. At present, he works as a Business Analyst to the Director of Group Operations at MAS Holdings Priyantha Fernando.

Yasitha is a household name in the Sri Lankan tennis fraternity and that identity in tennis was slowly built up since he started playing the sport at his alma matter Ananda College Colombo. “There was an amazing tennis culture at school and that helped me keep working on my game and loving the sport,” said Yasitha.

After he received his first lessons in tennis from his school coach Anupa Maththemagoda he came under the tutelage of Niranjan Casie Chetty with whom he has trained for the past 13 years. Incidentally Niranjan also produced this year’s Women’s Singles Champion Anjalika Kurera.

Yasitha wasn’t a dazzling player when competing at junior events and while in school. But he raised his game after stepping into the senior arena. Since making into the national pool he has been a regular and contested every Davis Cup event as a member of the men’s national team. He has fond memories of winning his Davis Cup match against Thailand. He also won a bronze medal at the 2016 South Asian Games; these two achievements being the top highlights in overseas assignments for country’s tennis representative.

He also values high his participation in tennis while in University and talks with much fondness about the appearances he made at the world university games in 2017 and 2019. “My future dream is to be a contributing player to the national team and also help Sri Lanka get back into Group 2 in the Davis Cup,” said Yasitha during an interview with The Island newspaper.

But all that has to be done while balancing his job as a business analyst. There are much younger hungrier players climbing up the ‘hill’ where he, at present, has taken a position as the ‘king of tennis’. “It will be tough for me in the future because most of the top players are younger than me. These young players are training full-time. I started working this year, so I have to balance my job with my tennis. I have to keep my game at the best possible level,” said the current national champion.

Yasitha maintained that he still focuses on the game with the same passion as when in his youth. “My childhood dream was to become the national champion. If you put in the right work and ethics and keep believing in yourself you can reach great heights in this sport. I still feel I can improve a lot more as a player. I want to learn and grow in this sport,” he said.

He also plans to make progress in his business career and see what the future holds for him there. He has this piece of advice for youngsters, “The message I want to give aspiring young players is to start the sport with small dreams. You must dream big, but don’t look for shortcuts in life. The toughest paths get you the most amazing results”.

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Sri Lanka to face India in semi-finals after washout

Published

17 hours ago

2026/09/29

Priyan

Rain has been a constant for the past few days (Cricinfo)

Sri Lanka will face India in the semi-finals of Asian Games men’s tournament after their quarter-final clash against Nepal was abandoned without a ball being bowled in Nisshin, Japan. The game was called off prior to the toss, with rain having begun hours prior to the scheduled 9am local start and not looking like abating.

Sri Lanka’s progression was assured by virtue of their higher seeding in terms of the ICC T20I rankings – Sri Lanka, alongside India, Pakistan and Bangladesh are the four seeded teams in the tournament. On Monday, India had qualified over Afghanistan after another washout, again by virtue of their higher. Similarly, Pakistan’s qualification was assured following a rain abandonment in their quarter-final against Hong Kong.

In the 2022 Asian Games, Sri Lanka had been eliminated at the quarter fial stages by Afghanistan. Another washout in the semis against, India though, will see the latter qualify for the final.

A few hours later, the fourth quarter-final between Bangladesh and Malaysia was also washed out. Bangladesh will now face Pakistan in the first semi-final on October 1, followed by India vs Sri Lanka later on the same day

(Cricinfo)

Latest News

Bangladesh to take on Pakistan in semis after another washout

Published

17 hours ago

2026/09/29

Priyan

Litton Das' team is closer to a medal finish (Cricinfo)

The Bangladesh vs Malaysia abandonment on Tuesday completed a quartet of rained off matches in the Asian Games men’s tournament. The match was called off two hours before the toss, with the teams told not to even turn up at the venue.

Bangladesh, by virtue of higher seeding, go through to the semi-finals where they will now face Pakistan on October 1. Earlier in the morning, the Sri Lanka vs Nepal fixture was also called off due to rain, with Sri Lanka advancing into the semi-finals where they will meet India.

There is, however, some good news, as the weather forecast in Nisshin is better for the semi-final and the medal match day, on October 1 and 3, respectively.

In the last edition (2023), Bangladesh had lost to India in the semi-final but won the third-place playoff against Pakistan to take home the bronze medal. They had won the bronze in 2014 as well and Bangladesh’s best finish was winning the gold medal in 2010, when they beat Afghanistan in the final.

(Cricinfo)

Sports

Tharanga seals remarkable season with Asian Games gold

Published

21 hours ago

2026/09/29

Sahan Weerasooriya

Rumesh Tharanga reached Japan as the overwhelming favourite

by Reemus Fernando

‎

World javelin leader Rumesh Tharanga lived up to his billing to win Sri Lanka a highly anticipated gold medal, overcoming wet weather and a slow runway at the Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan, on Monday.

‎The overwhelming favourite after a string of victories at global level this year, Tharanga made an unlikely start, opening with 73.52m in the first round and trailing his South Asian rivals, including reigning Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem of Pakistan. At the halfway mark he surged ahead with a massive 88.33m, then sealed the contest with 88.55m.

‎”He rose like a true champion at the most crucial moment. It was an incredible performance in these wet conditions,” veteran coach Susantha Fernando, who watched from the stands, told The Island. “I was blessed to see a Sri Lankan win gold at back-to-back Asian Games.” Fernando’s own charge, Tharushi Karunaratne, won the 800m at the last edition. He was one of the team coaches at the venue yesterday.

‎The 23-year-old, trained by Tony Prasanna, arrived in Japan as world No. 1 and the season’s leading thrower. In June he became the first Sri Lankan to throw beyond 90m, launching a national-record 92.62m at the Rome Diamond League. In July he beat India’s Neeraj Chopra to take Commonwealth Games gold in Glasgow, and this month he won the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest. He also became the first Sri Lankan to win the Diamond League title. He was the only thrower in the field with two throws beyond 92m this season.

‎With such a reputation to carry, a Games record (89.15m) was widely expected, and Tharanga came close, but nearly every thrower struggled in the wet conditions.

‎With Chopra absent, India’s Y. Singh and R. Yadav took silver and bronze with 85.72m and 84.35m respectively. Nadeem finished just outside the podium with 80.29m. Former national record holder and Olympian Sumedha Ranasinghe was sixth with 78.08m.

‎

‎Akalanka impresses in hurdles

‎‎Meanwhile, hurdler Ayomal Akalanka produced one of Sri Lanka’s best performances among those who narrowly missed the podium, finishing fifth in the men’s 400m hurdles.

‎Running from lane two, the 20-year-old clocked 49.37 seconds against an elite continental field. The former Ambagamuwa Central Udubulathgama athlete stayed in contention throughout the final and finished ahead of Japan’s Kazuki Kurokawa, India’s Santhosh Kumar Tamilarasan and Kazakhstan’s Vyacheslav Zems.

‎Qatar’s Bassem Hemeida won gold in 47.82, with Japan’s Taiju Goto taking silver in a personal best of 47.93. Taiwan’s Chung-wei Lin claimed bronze in a personal best 48.74, and his compatriot Jian-rong Chen was fourth in 49.25.