Saranga Sangakkara (centre) with her Brown University tennis team in USA. She is the elder sister of former Sri Lanka cricket Captain Kumar Sangakkara[/caption]
Legendary Arjun Fernando dominated Sri Lanka’s tennis scene by winning five national titles in a row in the 1980s - from 1984 to 1988. Then there was another domination in national tennis in the female segment too. In today’s Memorable Sporting Moments, we look back at the fascinating feat of the national tennis queen of the decade of 1990s, Saranga Sangakkara.
Before his five-in-a-row in the 1980s, Fernando had won his first national title back in 1977 when he was about 18 years of age. By the time he came back to win his five straight championships, Lihini Weerasuriya had won the corresponding women’s national title almost parallel to him, from 1985 to 1988, a four-in-a-row.
Then came Saranga Sangakkara from upcountry into the fray in Colombo’s annual Tennis Nationals.
She won the national women’s championship for the first time in 1991 when she was about 15 years of age. Yet Lihini Weerasuriya came back to win the title again in 1992.
Then emerged Sangakkara who studied at both Mahamaya Girls School, Kandy and Ladies’ College, Colombo. Since 1993 to 1997, for five straight years, Sangakkara won the women’s singles tennis title of Sri Lanka – a kind of domination in women’s tennis the country saw since her independence!
Only Doreen Sansoni had done better, winning six straight national women’s titles from 1935 to 1940. Later in 2014, Amritha Muttiah broke Sangakkara’s record and went on to equal Sansoni’s record of six titles in a row.