Suresh_Dharmasena

Suresh Dharmasena

Suresh Dharmasena

Sri Lankan wheelchair tennis player

Suresh Ranjan Dharmasena (born 24 June 1989), also known as DSR Dharmasena, is a Sri Lankan wheelchair tennis player.[1] He became a Paralympic competitor after sustaining injuries in the civil war.[2] He made his first Paralympic appearance representing Sri Lanka at the 2020 Summer Paralympics.[3][4]

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Biography

He was raised in Kahatagasdigiliya in the Anuradhapura District. He pursued primary and secondary education at the Kahatagasdigiliya Central College.[5] He joined Sri Lanka Armoured Corps at the age of 18 in 2007 and served as a lance bombardier (artillery regiment) in the Sri Lankan Army.[6]

His left foot was severely injured and had to be amputated when he stepped on an anti-personnel mine on 23 February 2009.[7] It was amputated when he was on his duty in the Pottuvil Lagoon and his army career was brought to an end just before the end of the 26 year long civil war.[8] After becoming a victim of LTTE terrorist attack, he underwent rehabilitation process at the Ragama Ranaviru Sevana for a period of four months.[5]

Career

Suresh was encouraged to take up the sport of wheelchair tennis by the then Brigadier Shiran Abeysekara in 2010. He claimed the bronze medal along with Lasantha Ranaweera in the men's doubles event at the 2018 Asian Para Games. It was the first time Sri Lanka had won a medal in an international wheelchair competition.[5] He won the 2018 Negombo Open ITF Series tournament after defeating Korea's top seed Ha-Gel Lee in straight sets.[9]

In May 2021, he won both the men's singles and men's doubles events at the 14th Sri Lanka Open Wheelchair Tennis tournament.[10] He was a key member of the Sri Lankan team which reached the semi-finals of the 2021 BNP Paribas World Team Cup Qualifiers.[11]

He received bipartite invitation to take part at the 2020 Summer Paralympics following his notable performances at the 2021 BNP Paribas World Team Cup Qualification round held in Portugal.[12] During the Tokyo Paralympics, he competed in section four of the first round event in the men's wheelchair tennis competition.[13][14][15]

On 6 March 2022, he won the men's singles title after defeating Sung-Bong Han in three sets 6–2, 3-6 and 7–5 in the final of the 2022 International Wheelchair tennis tournament which was played at the Sri Lanka Tennis Association courts.[16]

References

  1. [1]
    "Suresh Dharmasena". itftennis.com. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  2. [2]
    "Shipping companies donate wheelchairs to Sri Lankan tennis players". insidethegames.biz. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  3. [3]
    "Wheelchair Tennis: DHARMASENA D S R". Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Archived from the original on 31 August 2021. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  4. [4]
    "A medal apiece". Print Edition - The Sunday Times, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  5. [5]
    "A dream of a brave hearted war hero". Print Edition - The Sunday Times, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  6. [6]
    "Wheelchair Tennis Players off to Bangkok | Sri Lanka Army". army.lk. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  7. [7]
    "CICT empowers wheelchair tennis in Sri Lanka". Daily News. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  8. [8]
    Ratnaweera, Dhammika. "Dharmasena determined to create history in Tokyo". Daily News. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  9. [9]
    Ranasinghe, Dinushki (16 February 2018). "War hero knocks world ranker out of the park". ThePapare.com. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
  10. [10]
    Dhambarage, Chris. "War veteran Dharmasena shines at Wheelchair Tennis Tourney". Daily News. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  11. [11]
    Ratnaweera, Dhammika. "SL advance to Wheelchair Tennis WC semis". Daily News. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  12. [12]
    "Wheelchair tennis player Dharmasena receives bipartite invitation". CeylonToday. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  13. [13]
    "Wheelchair Tennis - Men's Singles Schedule". Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Archived from the original on 27 August 2021. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  14. [14]
    "All eyes on wheelchair tennis as Sri Lanka look for medals in Tokyo". Daily News. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  15. [15]
    Nadeera, Dilshan. "Mahash, Ranjan, Sampath to commence Sri Lanka's campaign". island.lk. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  16. [16]
    Nadeera, Dilshan. "Dharmasena wins singles title". island.lk. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
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