Anjalika Kurera crowned herself as the women’s singles tennis champion at the 106th Colombo Open and has set her sights on bigger things to come as she defeated Neyana Weerawansa convincingly in straight sets in the final to prove her dominance in the sport.
This is also the third time that she won the title in the Colombo Open to add to the women’s singles open title she won at the National Championship.
Anjalika was just 15 years old when she won the National title for the first time in 2019. Studies for the Ordinary Level examination kept her away from competing at the Nationals in 2020.
Anjalika is in the Sri Lanka squad that is undergoing training and has shown vast improved having represented the country at tennis tournaments held overseas. She has been in a few events such as the Fed Cup junior tournaments and other events around Asia.
“My ambition is to play at Wimbledon some day and will not stop until I achieve it,” said Anjalika in an interview with the Sunday Observer enthusiastically.
She sounded so ambitious that her dream to make it a reality will be gruelling at the workouts, meaning she will not stop now from eyeing every tournament held in Sri Lanka. She is also expected to regain her number one ranking which she held as an under-18 player.
Besides, attending pool practices at the SLTA she is privately coached by Niranjan Cassie Chetty who was a former national player. This is certain to give Anjalika deeper knowledge on how to read a game and the opponents.
Anjalika started playing tennis as a seven year old at her school at Ave Maria Convent, Negombo and her first coach was Bahitharan who was attached to the school. She has been at the game ever since and has emphatically improved with age.
She became the National champion once but is ambitious to emerge champion many more times. However, studies will not take a back seat as well. She is studying for her Advanced Level exam to be held in 2023 taking up commercial subjects like accounts and business studies and hopes to enter a university some day. “I will be aiming to join a campus in the USA on a scholarship,” said Anjalika.
Some Sri Lankan tennis stars have entered campuses in the USA before and in the future too that trend is expected to continue.