Special Correspondent
Kandy (Sri Lanka) Okay, so it was not the most important event in 15-year-old’s Tehani Guruge’s ballooning career as a budding international squash star, but her foreign experience certainly explains why she is able to overcome nervousness and reel off a series of quality strokes to wrap up two titles at the Le Kandyan Hotel squash tournament.

Not bad at all for a teenager who not only beat her cousin, Nirasha Guruge 9/6, 9/3, 9/7 to retain the open title, but also take the under19 event as well. Yet as she admitted, the game going to five sets was a tough one. It could have so easily gone against her as the slightly younger and competitive Vidushi Gurunada almost caused an upset.

She had served four times for the under19 crown only to drop serve at the crucial stage of the final round, 2/9 6/9 10/9 9/7 10/9. It was a bet of a sweat as the young Colombo girl’s efforts about the court was tight and controlled. There was a touch of skilled manoeuvre as she worked her opponent around and guessing the ball placement, It is always a tricky business in a tight contest: risky too as the angle of placement is so important in a tight game when trying to wrest control at a crucial stage of the last game.

In the open, however, the battle of the Guruge cousins was a touch less frenetic as the second game displayed the controlled differences between the two young women. The exchanges were not as close as in the under19 event and the rallies less demanding and the reach and power of Tehani’s court knowledge proved to be the strong point in her end game. But then with a string of overseas success with first the under15 title in last year’s Japanese open championship followed by the under15 title at the Singapore junior tournament and winning the Sri Lanka under15 and then under19 titles, among other titles, suggests a rare talent.

Men’s open title winner at the Le Kandyan Hotel event, Navin Samarasinghe, was inclined to take the gloss off his success by displaying certain arrogance when a touch of humilty would not have gone unnoticed. He was far too strong and powerful for his opponent Anura Hewage, wrapping up the title 9/0, 9/0, 9/0. He knew his opponents weak points and manoeuvred him out of position in the close rallies. There was a touch of subtly about his play against the hard-hitting Hewage who seemed to lose control from the start of the game.

Other results: Men’s over 35 R S Deen beat E Rariahandean 7/9, 1/9, 9/6, 9/6, 9/4; women’s over 35: Yasmin Zarook beat Disna Ranjani 9/1, 9/2 9/4; Men’s plate J P Jayawardena beat Seshan Zahir 7/9, 7/9, 9/6 10/8, 9/4; Masters over 45: Oliver Guruge beat Yee Wooihong 9/2, 9/8, 9/0; Boys under 19: Hain Perera beat Eranger Aliois 8/10, 9/1, 9/3, 9/3; Tehani Guruge beat Vidushi Gurunada 3-2; Girls under17: Nirasha Guruge beat Vachira Karuarathna 3/0; Boys under 17: Yasir Irsadeen beat Jaynth Jayarathne 3-0.