Colombo will once again play host to an important Davis Cup tie as the Group III Asia/Oceania draw is set to take place at the Sri Lanka Tennis Association premises this July with hosts Sri Lanka looking to get themselves promoted to the top group.
Read more: Davis Cup – Do or Die battle for Sri Lanka
The Davis Cup is the premier international men’s team event in the sport of tennis which is an equivalent to a world cup and contested by 130 teams globally. The teams are divided in groups which are separated on the basis of geography and the top performers play the world group which is the top most level of competition.
Davis Cup: Sri Lanka finish winless in relegation tie
After five years of survival in the top division of the Asia Oceania Davis Cup draw..
Sri Lanka is currently ranked 78 in the world ranking after they were relegated in the Asia/Oceania Group II last year losing their relegation tie to Indonesia. Therefore, the Lankans are currently in group III where they would fight for their spot in the top division.
Read more: Sri Lanka to face Indonesia in Davis Cup Tie
A total of 9 teams will compete in the group III tie which will include Lebanon, Malaysia, Pacific Oceania, Qatar, Jordan, Syria, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates and hosts Sri Lanka. The nine teams will be grouped into two groups and initially, the draw will be played on a round-robin basis.
The winner of group I will play-off against the runner-up of group II while the group II winner will face the runner-up of group I. The winners of the two playoffs will advance to the top division.
Sri Lanka had a disappointing stint last year in the tournament and will be eyeing that promotion ticket with the tournament being played on home soil.
“Hosting a tournament such as the Davis Cup will cost us a total of over 8 million but we are in the process of finding sponsors and making a successful international event.” Vice-President of the Sri Lanka Tennis Association Udith Wickremasinghe added on the upcoming tournament.
