Sri Lanka’s hopes of advancing in the Davis Cup Asia/Oceania Group III event were dealt with a blow as they suffered consecutive defeats in the tournament. The latest setback came at the hands of Vietnam, who secured a 2-1 victory at the Sri Lanka Tennis Association Courts in Colombo.
In the singles matches, Chathurya Nilaweera endured a hard-fought battle but was ultimately defeated by Ha Minh Duc Vu, who triumphed with a scoreline of 6-4, 7-5. Similarly, Ashen Silva struggled to find his rhythm and was convincingly beaten by Phuong Van Nguyen, with a score of 7-5, 6-2.
However, Sri Lanka managed to salvage some pride in the doubles game, where Dhilvan Herath and Thehan Wijemanne displayed a stellar performance. They secured a victory against Dac Tien Nguyen and Minh Tuan Pham, winning with a scoreline of 6-3, 7-6, and 6-4.
Prior to the defeat against Vietnam, Team Sri Lanka faced another tough challenge against Saudi Arabia on Wednesday. Unfortunately, the outcome was equally disappointing as Sri Lanka suffered a 2-0 defeat in singles matches.
Ammar Faleh dominated the match against Chathurya Nilaweera, winning in straight sets with a commanding score of 6-3, 6-1. Meanwhile, Saud Alhogbani proved to be too strong for Thehan Wijemanne, securing a straight-set victory with scores of 7-5, 6-0. The doubles match in that encounter was not completed.
These successive defeats have left Sri Lanka’s aspirations to progress in the Davis Cup hanging by a thread.
Despite the setbacks, the Sri Lankan players have shown determination and skill in their matches. While the road ahead may be challenging, they will undoubtedly aim to bounce back in the remaining fixtures and end the tournament on a positive note.
