Ganuka Fernando’s blossoming junior tennis career was almost nipped at the buds after the sudden demise of his father Thusan Fernando three years ago.
His father suffered an unfortunate brain aneurysm rupture when he was just 47 and passed away leaving Ganuka’s future in the sport in a limbo. His father, after all, was the person who encouraged Ganuka to take up tennis seriously when he was still studying at Grade 3.
But, there was a guardian angel looking after Ganuka – his tennis coach Dinith Pathiraja. Dinith had his young ward, then only 14, to put the grieve behind and refocus on his tennis.
“My coach is the person, who has been financially supporting my tennis participation ever since, Without him I would probably will not be playing,” said Ganuka.
The 17-year-old from the Sri Lankan port city of Negambo is determined to make a name for himself in tennis, despite coming from a cricket crazy country.
Ganuka is the sole Sri Lankan player at the 30th edition of the Tep Khunnah Memorial Cup, an ITF J30 event taking place at the Morodok Techo Tennis Complex. The sixth seed opened accounts with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Singaporean Justine Lie on Monday in the boy’s singles and will play India’s Shreyanth Mahanthesa in the second round tomorrow.
In the boy’s doubles first round, he and partner Hao Yi Zhang of China were up against another scratch pair, the French-Indian pairing of Myles Bonnard- Shreyanth, and the partnership emerged 6-4, 6-1 winners.
They play Korean top seeds Shin Jaejun-Bon Hong Koo in the quarter-finals next.
“My expectations as always in any tournament is to win. It is the same here. My dream is to eventually break into the top 100 of the ATP Rankings,” said Ganuka.
With a world ranking of 811 in 2008, Harshana Godamnana became and still remains the highest ranked tennis player in Sri Lankan history.
“I believe I can improve and believe I will built what I need to reach the goal,” said Ganuka, who admires the consistency of his idol Novak Djokovic.
“My strength in my game I believe is my consistency. But, I want to be as consistent as how Djokovic is,” added Ganuka.
The tennis upstart opted out of playing in Japan for chance to earn a place in the Australian Open qualifiers as it clashed with the ongoing tournament in Phnom Penh.
“I had played in the qualifiers for the past two years, but opted out this time to earn ranking points. The competition in Japan does not offer ranking points,” added Ganuka, an A-Level student at the Peters College in Colombo.
He is not only juggling his time between tennis and studies, but has also taken the serious steps by taking up foundation studies in Business Administration and Finance simultaneously.
The young lad, who was also a member of the Sri Lankan Junior Davis Cup squad, is not only charting his tennis future but also a career out of tennis at the same time.
He is already making a name for himself at the senior level back at home. Already a semi-finalist at the Sri Lankan National Open tennis championships, where he lost to the defending champion Apna Pereira.
At the junior level, he won the national under-16 double title last year, partnering a German player.
“It is important for me to play here (Phnom Penh) as I want to gain points to improve my rankings,” said Ganuka, who helped his college win the annual encounter between Royal College and Saint Peter’s College for the Arjun Fernando Percy Ernest Shield.
Ganuka defeated Ashmal Bilal in the deciding third singles to help Peters College emerge victorious.
Ganuka’s track record on the ITF circuit this year has been tentative, making the quarter-finals at the J30 events in Male, Colombo and Islamabad.
RESULTS
BOY’S SINGLES
First round Fedor Evdokimov bt Malay Keyurbhai Minjrola (Ind) 6-0, 6-3; Takuto Matsuo (Hkg) bt Shunhua He (Chn) 4-6, 7-6 (3), 6-2; Myles Bonnard (Fra) bt Andre Harnadi (Sgp) 7-5, 7-5; Xu Haoxuan-Megh Patel Maulik (Ind) 6-3, 7-5; Bon Hong Koo (Kor) bt Shaun Kok Tung Hur (Mas) 6-3, 6-0; Song Yefei (Chn) bt Matthew Tay (Sgp) 6-1, 6-2; Zhu Yunze (Chn) bt Kim Kyungone (Kor) 6-3, 6-1; Chen Xiaozheng (Chn) bt Jacques Rupe (Nzl) 6-0, 6-2
BOY’S DOUBLES
First Round: Ganuka Fernando-Hao Yi Zhang (Sri-Chn) bt Myles Bonnard-Shreyanth Mahanthesha (Fra-Ind) 6-4, 6-1 Ethan Matthew Koh-Takuto Matsuo (Sgp-Hkg bt Malay Keyurbhai Minjrola-Megh Patel Maulik (Ind) 6-4, 6-1; Jonathan Roth-Run Ze Shi (Aut-Chn) bt Fedor Evdokimov-Joachim Mika Gunawan (AIN-Ina) 6-3, 6-4; Yue Yu-Yunze Zhu (Chn) bt Prachanda Komarla-Rishab Ramanan (Aus-Ind) 6-3, 6-1
GIRLS SINGLES
First Round: Nadine Ashlee Tio (Ina) bt Miku Matsuo (Jpn) 6-7 (6), 7-6 (4) 6-2; Mathea Heje (Nor) bt Hannah Giam (Sgp) 6-1, 6-3 Riya Gangamma Pudiyokkada (Ind) bt Naomi Gracelyn Tio (Ina) 6-3, 7-5; Zican Yang (Chn) bt Aanya Soni (Ind) 6-1, 6-1
GIRLS DOUBLES
First Round: Miku Matsuo-Mei Uchida (Jpn) bt Regina Lawmkimi Bawitlung-Binh Nhien To (Ind-Vie) 6-2, 4-6, 10-6; Riya Gangamma Pudiyokkada-Milanesa Briana Susanto (Ind-Ina) bt Mathea Heje-Amara Young (Nor-Gbr) 6-3, 6-0; Qingan Chen-Youwen Shi (Chn) bt Niyati Hiranandani Bhandari-Hannah Giam (Ind-Sgp) 6-3, 6-3
