By a Special Sports Correspondent

Women’s tennis in Sri Lanka is a glamour sport and players like Anika Seneviratne, Janali Manampperi, Neyara Weerawansa, Oneli Perera and Savini Jayasuriya have made it more than exciting.

However during this year’s restricted tennis calendar, troubled due to the present pandemic, one player who has come up fast and gained so much attention is 18-year-old schoolgirl Savini Jayasuriya. She has won the Women’s singles events in the SSC Open and the HNB-Hutch Clay Court Nationals this year apart from winning the Under 18 Girls’ Singles at the Junior National Tennis Championships.

She started playing tennis at the age of four and didn’t taste instant success. She was losing more games than winning and by age 11 she made it known to her loved ones at home that she wanted to try a new sport. But a change of mind coupled with more focus and determination to remain in the racket sport saw her finding the art of winning.

Soon she was making it to tours abroad with the national age group teams. She of course had her most challenging moment in the sport at the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia. She was down with dengue and had to play a separate trial to make it to the national team. Her participation at the games was made possible after a court case and the intervention of the country’s sports minister. But despite Savini travelling all the way to Indonesia she had to remain a mere spectator. Her late entry was not accepted by the games’ organisers.

She had her initial schooling at Bishop’s College Colombo where her life was more or less centred around tennis. However, the year 2019 was a special year for Savini and her teammates. The schoolgirls clad in purple t-shirts saw their efforts giving them the under 19 All Island Championships.

Apart from all what she has achieved there are many lessons that the sport has taught her. As much as hard work tops the list she once told during an online interview that it’s equally important to enjoy the game and make progress step by step. Her parents and her brother, who influenced her to take to the sport, probably have had the patience and wait till Savini started blooming as a flower. She has cherished her small wins and learned well from her losses. She has said often that her losses have made her a true sportswoman.

This year it all started happening for Savini. She beat Janali 6/1, 6/4 at the SSC Open. She got the better of Janali again at the HNB-Hutch Clay Court Nationals in the women’s singles 6/1, 3/6, 6/1. The latter marked her maiden Clay Court Nationals win too. At the Junior National Tennis Championships, representing her new school Gateway College, she beat Oneli Perera 6/1, 6/0. She made it to the finals of the 105 Colombo Tennis Championships, but lost to reigning women’s singles championships Anika Senewiratne 7/5, 3/6, 6/3.

She has also won many doubles events partnering Janali Manampperi. Her latest success at the doubles event was when she won the 105th National Women’s Doubles Championships of Sri Lanka partnering Janali. She is also a South Asian Games (2019) Silver medallist and represented Sri Lanka at multiple International tournaments including Asian Games 2018, Fed Cup and is a former Jr. Fed Cup player.

Tennis calls for an early start and hours of slogging at both the tennis courts and the gymnasium. She started training early and has been committed to the game, on and off the court. The women’s segment in the Sri Lankan tennis scene is so competitive and Savini knows that truly well. This season we didn’t see Anjalika Kurera (Probably due to school exams) and little of Rushika Wijesuriya (who has had overseas training exposure). Still the women’s segment produced the sparks and much of it was created by Savini.

Tennis analysts have already predicted that Savini would go great guns in the future. Her power player and the short-ball initiative she takes at matches have been noticed by tennis commentators who have aired their views during online tennis coverages. But overall Savini’s tennis story is one of highs and lows and also underscores the efforts of a teenager who wants to reach her potential and leave her signature in the tennis annals of Sri Lanka. All that was possible due to the support she received from her parents, coaches, the SLTA and close associates in her tennis circle.

She has had her share of foreign tours and represented Sri Lanka. She is in a sport where participants manage both their education and sport quite well. Savini knows that education and sport go hand in hand; a combination which promises to release to the world a well-balanced person. When the attention is on a sportsman or a sportswoman during present times spectators or your followers are looking beyond tennis to relate to you. This is true when a sportstar is selected as a brand ambassador and has to relate to an audience by speaking. She was chosen to answer questions at the Sri Lanka Tennis Association conducted ‘Tennis Talk’ (live Q & A Session-Episode 19) in March this year.

More than all what she has earned in tennis she says that the sport has given her the ability to believe in herself.