Davis Cup 2018 – Will Sri Lanka be 8th time lucky?

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The Davis Cup hits the 2018 calendar once again with Sri Lanka going up against Thailand in the Asia/Oceania Group II play offs.

The tie will be hosted at the iconic Sri Lanka Tennis Association clay courts on 3rd and 4th February.

Read Sri Lanka’s journey through 2017

Sri Lanka has a disappointing history against Thailand in the Davis Cup where the opponents have won all seven ties between the two countries.

The last encounter between the two was in 2016 where Sri Lanka lost and had to play the relegation battle against Indonesia in the Asia/Oceania Group II. The Lankan bench comprising of veteran Harshana Godammane, Sharmal Dissanayake, Nishangan Nadaraja, Dineshkanthan Thangarajah and Yasitha De Silva were able to give the Thai a run for their money on their home soil.

However, it was tied at 2-2 in the best of 5 series where the doubles decided the victor. Yasitha De Silva and Dineshkanthan Thangarajah failed in their mission with a straight sets loss sending Sri Lanka to face Indonesia in their relegation do-or-die tie.

Davis Cup: Sri Lanka fail the final hurdle

Sharmal Dissanyaka’s return single win in the final day seemed to be not worth it……

The current Sri Lankan Team consists of Godammane and Dissanayake who have been the top runners in Sri Lanka Men’s Tennis in the current years. They are joined by Yasitha De Silva and Nishangan Nadarajah to complete the team. Godammane and Dissanayake’s thrilling performances against four nations paved the way for Sri Lanka to earn promotion back to group II for the 2018 play offs.

Former National Champion and Davis Cup legend, Rohan De Silva, will play the role of the non-playing captain with Renouk Wijemmane in the coaching seat. The two will work in-par to create history for the Lankans by breaking the losing streak to Thailand.

ThePapare.com is dedicated to bringing you videos, photos and articles on the tie; stay logged!