Cambodia and Sri Lanka Secure Historic Promotions to Davis Cup World Group III
Cambodia made the most of a historic home Davis Cup engagement by earning promotion to World Group III along with Sri Lanka. The occasion was momentous for Cambodia since it hosted the Davis Cup for the first time in its tennis history and put cherry on the cake by winning the play-off.
Eight nations from the Asia-Oceania region competing fiercely for promotion at Morodok Techno National Sport Complex (10-13 July) in Phnom Penh.
The complex, previously the venue for the SEA Games 2023, provided a stunning backdrop for the World Group IV matches. Teams were divided into two pools of four, with Qatar and Kuwait emerging as leaders in their respective groups. Cambodia and Sri Lanka, finishing second in their pools, also advanced to the promotional playoffs.
Cambodia’s Historic Triumph Over Qatar
Despite finishing second in Pool B, Cambodia faced the unbeaten Qatar in Playoff. In front of a passionate home crowd, Cambodia delivered a stunning 2-0 victory. Kenny Bun set the stage with a commanding performance, defeating Rashed Nawaf 6-3 6-4. Sarinreach Leng then completed the win by winning 1-6 6-3 6-3 against Mubarak Shannan, sealing Cambodia’s promotion.
Sri Lanka’s Commanding Win Over Kuwait
In the other promotional playoff, Sri Lanka blanked Kuwait 2-0. Thehan Sanjaya opened the tie with a strong 6-3 6-4 win over Bader Alabdullah. In the second singles Apna Perera outclassed Abdulhamid Mubarak 6-1 6-2 as the Island nation advanced to World Group III.
Fierce Relegation Battles
The final day also featured intense relegation playoffs. Kyrgyzstan narrowly avoided relegation by defeating Myanmar 2-1 in a gripping contest. After Myanmar’s Aung Myo Thant won the first singles match, Kyrgyzstan’s Iigiz Kamchibekov leveled the score.
The deciding doubles match saw Kyrgyzstan’s Kiril Kistanov and Mirgiiaz Mirdzhaliev clinch victory in straight sets, ensuring their place in World Group IV and relegating Myanmar to World Group V.
In another nail-biting relegation playoff, Iraq overcame UAE 2-1. UAE’s Omar Alawadhi gave his team an early lead, but Iraq’s Abdullah Ali Hatem equalised by taking in the second singles. In the doubles, Iraq’s Abdullah Ali and Adel Saidi prevailed, securing their team’s place in World Group IV and sending UAE to World Group V.
Congratulations to Cambodia and Sri Lanka for their remarkable achievements and well-deserved promotions to World Group III. The success of this event also highlights Tennis Cambodia’s exceptional efforts in hosting their first Davis Cup, setting a high standard for future tournaments.
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