Muthumali Priyadharshani of the Army created a major upset when she beat the experienced former National champion Ishara Madurangi in the semi-finals to take the Women’s Open title at the Mahipala Herath Challenge Trophy All Island Table Championship held at the Kegalle Municipal Council Indoor Stadium last week.
Priyadharshani then beat Jitara Warnakulasuriya in the final that went the full distance of five sets.
Krishan Wickremaratne did well to beat Senura Silva in a tense final in the men’s singles event. The final went into for four sets with Krishan scoring 12/10, 11/6, 6/11, 11/9.
This tournament was conducted after a long break by Kanaka Herath, President of the Table Tennis Association of Sri Lanka (TTASL) and State Minister of Plantations.
There was no doubles event.
Minister Herath graced the occasion as the chief guest and presented the certificates at the awards ceremony.
Minister of Sports, Namal Rajapaksa, made a special visit to the venue to witness the reactivation of the game. (DR)