By Revatha Silva The Sri Lanka Tennis Association (SLTA) is now conducting the 103^rd edition of the Sri Lanka Tennis Nationals, at the SLTA hard courts in Green Path, Colombo 7. Following is the Champions Roll of the Sri Lanka Tennis Nationals that has been held so far for 125 years since it was first staged in 1884. This is one of the oldest running annual sports competitions in the South Asian region. The players who have won the most number of Singles titles according to available records are: Men’s –

1. E. de Fonblanque (10 Singles titles),
2. O. M. Lisboa (OML) Pinto (7 titles)
3. Arjun Fernando (6 titles)

Women’s –

1. D. H. Alston and Doreen Sansoni (both 7 Singles titles)
2. Saranga Sangakkara and Amritha Muttiah (both 6 titles)

  THE CHAMPIONS ROLL (Tabulated as: Year / Winner of Men’s Singles / Winner of Women’s Singles) 1884 – C. H. A. Ross 1885 – J. P. Dove 1886 – E. de Fonblanque 1887 – E. de Fonblanque 1888 – E. de Fonblanque & Miss I. Watson 1889 – E. de Fonblanque - (1889-99 Women’s Singles was not held regularly/No records available) 1890 – J. P. Dove 1891 – E. de Fonblanque 1892 – E. de Fonblanque 1893 – E. de Fonblanque 1894 – E. de Fonblanque 1895 – Fred Hadden 1896 – E. de Fonblanque 1897 – E. de Fonblanque 1898 – D. E. Kelly 1899 – E. A. Stephens 1900 – D. E. Kelly & Mrs. A. F. Broun 1901 – B. C. N. Knight & Miss. R. Elliot 1902 – E. A. Stephens & Miss. R. Elliot 1903 – E. A. Stephens & Miss R. Elliot 1904 – D. E. Kelly & Mrs. D. K. Kelly 1905 – S. P. Hayley & Miss. R. Elliot 1906 – S. P. Hayley & Mrs. De Fonblanque 1907 – D. E. Kelly & Mrs. D. E. Kelly 1908 – D. E. Kelly & Mrs. W. S. Rose 1909 – S. P. Hayley & Mrs. Brook-Smith 1910 – S. P. Hayley & Mrs. W. S. Rose 1911 – S. P. Hayley & Mrs. J. B. Rennie 1912 – D. E. Kelly & Mrs. G. Windus 1913 – A. M. Cooper & Mrs. G. Windus 1914 – E. Spitz & Mrs. Milne 1915 – 18 – (Nationals not held due to World War I) 1919 – E. R. de Saram & Mrs. W. B. Bartlett 1920 – O. M. L. (Lisboa) Pinto & Mrs. G. D. H. Alston 1921 – O. M. L. Pinto & Mrs. G. D. H. Alston 1922 – L. G. O. Wodehouse & Mrs. G. D. H. Alston 1923 – O. M. L. Pinto & Mrs. G. Gilliat 1924 – O. M. L. Pinto & Mrs. G. D. H. Alston 1925 – F. de Saram & Mrs. G. D. H. Alston 1926 – L. V. Loos & Mrs. G. J. Dewhurst 1927 – O. M. L. Pinto & Mrs. G. J. Dewhurst 1928 – G. M. Rennie & Mrs. C. Gilliat 1929 – O. M. L. Pinto & Mrs. G. D. H. Alston 1930 – G. O. Nicholas & Mrs. G. D. H. Alston 1931 – G. O. Nicholas & Miss. G. Steiger 1932 – O. M. L. Pinto & Mrs. C. Wright 1933 – E. D. Andrews & Mrs. C. Wright 1934 – G. O. Nicholas & Miss. Nedra Obeysekera 1935 – N. Krishnaswamy & Miss. D. (Doreen) Sansoni 1936 – N. Krishnaswamy & Miss. D. Sansoni 1937 – Y. R. Savur & Miss. D. Sansoni 1938 – H. (Hildon) C. Sansoni & Miss. D. Sansoni 1939 – H. C. Sansoni & Miss. D. Sansoni 1940 – A. G. Gupta & Miss. D. Sansoni 1941 – F. J. de Saram & Miss. S. (Sheila) Roberts 1942 – 45 – (Nationals not held due to World War II) 1946 – B. R. Kapinapathay & Miss. D. Sansoni 1947 – F. J. de Saram & Miss. S. Roberts 1948 – G. Mohamed & Miss. K. Singh 1949 – I. Ahamed & Miss. S. Roberts 1950 – F. J. de Saram & Miss. S. Roberts 1951 – I. Ahamed & Miss. S. Roberts 1952 – L. P. Ernst & Mrs. C. R. Warren 1953 – J. Arkinstall & Mrs. C. R. Warren 1954 – L. Bergelin & Mrs. C. R. Warren 1955 – V. Skonecki & Miss. ‘Coocoo’ Fonseka 1956 – Ramanathan Krishnan & Miss. I. Vogler 1957 – Rupert Ferdinands & Miss. Ranjani Jayasuriya 1958 – S. C. Misra & Miss. Ranjani Jayasuriya 1959 – S. C. Misra & Miss. Ranjani Jayasuriya 1960 – S. Akthar Ali & Miss. Dechu Appaiah 1961 – P. Senaka Kumara & Miss. D.Appaiah 1962 – S. Akthar Ali & Miss. D. Appaiah 1963 – Rupert Ferdinands & Miss. Ranjani Jayasuriya 1964 – R. Venkatesan & Miss. L. Mahadevan 1965 – Sie Nie Sie & Miss. Lita Liem 1966 – Bernard L. Pinto & Miss. Lita Liem 1967 – G. Elsenbroich & Miss. Lita Liem 1968 – Anand Amritraj & Miss. Sria Gooneratne 1969 – Rupert Ferdinands & Miss. Sria Gooneratne 1970 – Rupert Ferdinands & Mrs. Wendy Molligoda 1971 – Anand Amritraj & Mrs. O. Chanmugam 1972 – R. Venkatesan & Miss. Udaya Kumar 1973 – P. Senaka Kumara & Miss. Susan Das 1974 – Saeed Meer & Miss. Lanny Kaligis 1975 – Lasantha Fernando & Mrs. Nirupama Mankad 1976 – Jamiel Ahamed & Mrs. S. A. Gunawardena 1977 – Arjun Fernando & Miss. Manisha Perera 1978 – Pravin Singh & Miss. Manisha Perera 1979 – Frank Sebaratnam & Miss. Manisha Perera 1980 – Sriyan Senadira & Miss. Kamala Hedge 1981 – R. Suarez & Miss. Manisha Perera 1982 – Frank Sebaratnam & Miss. R. Krishana 1983 – Frank Sebaratnam & Miss. S. D. Soysa 1984 – Arjun Fernando & Miss. Laura Pesenti 1985 – Arjun Fernando & Miss. Lihini Weerasuriya 1986 – Arjun Fernando & Miss. Lihini Weerasuriya 1987 – Arjun Fernando & Miss. Lihini Weerasuriya 1988 – Arjun Fernando & Miss. Lihini Weerasuriya 1989 – Umesh Wallooppillai & Miss. Vajira Premaratne 1990 – Rohan de Silva & Miss Sobhini de Silva 1991 – Umesh Wallooppillai & Miss Saranga Sangakkara 1992 – Jayendra Wijeysekera & Miss Lihini Weerasuriya 1993 – Rohan de Silva & Miss. Saranga Sangakkara 1994 – Jayendra Wijeysekera & Miss. Saranga Sangakkara 1995 – Jayendra Wijeysekera & Miss. Saranga Sangakkara 1996 – S. Narla & Miss. Saranga Sangakkara 1997 – Jayendra Wijeysekera & Miss Saranga Sangakkara 1998 – Aasir Iddamalgoda & Mrs. Sobhini Wickremahewa nee de Silva 1999 – Jayendra Wijeysekera & Miss A. Rajaih 2000 – Dinuka Ranaweera & Miss Vajira Premaratne 2001 – Renouk Wijemanne & Miss Shalini Pereira 2002 – Franklyn Emmanuel & Miss Dinali de SIlva 2003 – Franklyn Emmanuel & Miss Thiyumi Abeysinghe 2004 – Wincent Ligard & Miss Udanthi Narahenpitage 2005 – Harshana Godamanna & Mis Jithmie Jayawickrema 2006 – Harshana Godamanna & Miss Jithmie Jayawickrema 2007 – Amrit Rupasinghe & Miss Jithmie Jayawickrema 2008 – Harshana Godamanna & Miss Jithmie Jayawickrema 2009 – Harshana Godamanna & Miss Amritha Muttiah 2010 – Harshana Godamanna & Miss Amritha Muttiah 2011 - Thangarajah Dineshkanthan & Miss Amritha Muttiah 2012 - Thangarajah Dineshkanthan & Miss Amritha Muttiah 2013 - Thangarajah Dineshkanthan & Miss Amritha Muttiah 2014 - Heera Ashiq & Miss Amritha Muttiah 2015 - Thangarajah Dineshkanthan & Miss Thisuri Molligoda 2016 - Sharmal Dissanayake & Miss Thisuri Molligoda 2017 – Sharmal Dissanayake & Miss Medhira Samarasinghe Note – Above combi-picture depicts prolific record holders of Sri Lanka Tennis Nationals in its recent history; Saranga Sangakkara, the elder sister of cricket legend Kumar Sangakkara (on left) and Arjun Fernando, who clinched 6 singles titles each during 1980s and '90s.