Two titles for Sankha Atukorale and a podium finish for Wild Card qualifier Rithik Piyasena were among the highlights of Dunlop Grand Slam25 by HNB Priority Circle, held on 12 and 13 September at Padel House, CR & FC, and Padel House, Classen Place.
The championship finale brought eight months of Padel Chief’s Slam25 competition to a close, with titles decided across five categories. The winners were subsequently recognised at the Maxxis Chief Awards 2026.
The road to Grand Slam25 began with Slam25 mini events held across four padel courts in Sri Lanka over eight months. These events gave players regular opportunities to compete, face different opponents and build their standing in the series before attention turned to the championship finale.
At Grand Slam25, players competed through qualifying heats to secure their places in the finals. An additional Wild Card place was available in four categories, offering another opportunity to players or teams whose performances warranted a second chance.
Sankha Atukorale emerged as one of the finale’s standout performers, winning the Men’s Open title and partnering Rajeev Rajapakse to victory in the Fixed Doubles Open.
In the Men’s Open, Rajitha Soysa finished runner-up, with Rahul Wijeratne taking third. In Fixed Doubles Open, Rukmal Cooray and Dhilvan Herath claimed second place, followed by Anika Seneviratne and Udith Wickramasinghe in third.
The Men’s Amateur title went to Adam Fernando, ahead of Rajitha Soysa and Rithik Piyasena. Soysa’s performances earned him runner-up finishes in both the Amateur and Open categories, while Piyasena’s third place came through one of the tournament’s most notable qualification stories.
Piyasena had entered the Men’s Amateur final as a Wild Card. Those places were determined by the Padel Chief system through analysis of performance data from the heats, rather than manual selection by organisers. The system assessed players’ overall performances to identify an additional qualifier in each eligible category.
Piyasena made the most of that opportunity, turning his Wild Card place into a podium finish.
In Women’s Amateur, Sujani Bogollagama secured the championship, with Sasala Dissanayake finishing runner-up and Shana Dandeniya taking third.
The Mixed Open, the only category without a Wild Card, recognised the leading male and female performers separately. Ruvin Kularatne was named Top Male Player, with Sulaiman Siraj finishing second. Anika Amalean took the Top Female Player honour ahead of Devika Bakshi Hirdaramani.
Across the Slam25 journey and its Grand Slam25 finale, players received more than LKR 1 million in cash prizes and gifts. Selected champions also received Dunlop FX Pro rackets, including the Fixed Doubles Open winners, the top male and female performers in Mixed Open, and the Men’s Open champion.
The competition was supported by Dunlop as Title Sponsor, HNB Priority Circle as Presenting Partner and Amcom as Official Awards Partner.
Mellow by Star Holdings and Colombo Aces were Gold Sponsors, while Imran Issadeen was the Prize Money Partner. Forthing by United Motors served as Official Automotive Partner, Classic Travel as Official Travel Partner, Flash Health as Official Healthcare Partner and Maxxis Sri Lanka as Live Streaming Partner.
For the players, Grand Slam25 was the final test after months of regular competition. Across two days at the Padel House courts, established contenders delivered, new champions emerged and a Wild Card qualifier proved he belonged among the leading finishers.
Their achievements were later celebrated at the Maxxis Chief Awards 2026, bringing the Grand Slam25 winners together for recognition beyond the court.
