Sri Lanka’s reigning and four-time women’s national champion (from 2005-08) Jithmie Jayawickrema, 17, has reached last four at girls singles in the 39th Brunei ITF Junior Circuit 2009 held at Bander Seri Begawan in Brunei from March 9-15.

After her feat at this Grade-IV junior tourney conducted on hard surface, Jayawickrema, who plays her last year in world junior circuit, jumped from her previous 325 to a career high international junior girls rank of 309 (as announced by ITF on March 19), probably the best so far achieved by a Lankan girl in recent times.

"My plan now is to further improve my rank up to about 150 or better than that so that I can play in a Grand Slam junior event this year itself. I have an aim to make it before this year’s US Open (held next Aug-Sep). If I can do well in a few Grade-III and II junior events soon, I think I can make it," Jayawickrema told ‘The Island’ on Sunday (22).

"I’ll have to play in Futures (professional women’s circuit) from next year. It will be really tough for me to go on playing international tournaments after junior career, unless I get a good sponsor. Without a sponsor, it’s hard to pursue a career at the senior level," added Jayawickrema, who dominates national women’s tennis in an identical fashion like when Saranga Sangakkara dominated during the 1980s and ’90s.

Incidentally, Kanami Tsuji, the prodigious 13-year-old Japanese, who beat Jayawickrema at the 26th ITF Championship in Colombo last February, went on to clinch the girls singles title in Brunei beating a Thai, Tanaporn Thongsing, 6-1, 6-4.

After Jayawickrema, Amreetha Muttiah is the best ranked ITF junior girls’ player of Sri Lanka. She presently holds the rank of 862.

Round-1: bt Nana Chiba (Japan) 6-2, 6-0

Round-2: bt Teiwa Casey (Australia) 6-1, 6-3

Quarter-final: Emily Fanning (New Zealand) 6-3, 6-3

Semi-final: lost to T. Thongsing (Thailand) 2-6, 6-7(3).