The final day of the quarter final tie between Thailand and Sri Lanka ended sombrely for Team Sri Lanka as they saw defeat in a tight battle. Pushing it all the way to the fifth rubber, it was up to Yasitha De Silva to make history for the nation, but failed dismally. The tie took place at the centre clay court of the Sri Lanka Tennis Association with ardent supporters present cheering the Lions to make history.
Sharmal kicks off Davis Cup with a bang
All things tied after the first day of the Davis Cup Group II..
The day started off with a magnificent doubles performance by Sharmal and Yasitha, the top two rankers in the Sri Lankan side taking on Sanchai and Palaphoom in straight sets. Winning the match in just over an hour the Lankan duo broke once in each set to finish off the match 6/3, 6/4. With 65 points in total, Sharmal and Yasitha took charge of the match entirely, grasping the momentum from the start to gracefully start the day for Sri Lanka on a high note.
2-1 up in the tie, Sri Lanka sent out debutant Alex Fairbanks out on court to face Thai’s No.1 player Wishaya Trongchaloenchaikul. A win here meant Sri Lanka would move on to the semi-finals of group II. As ranks would have it, Wishaya showed no mercy to Alex and bagged the third singles in a brisk. Alex must be given due credit for holding on in the first set challenging the Thai in a neck-n-neck tie but Wishaya with all his experience pulled through with a final score of 7/5, 6/0.
Yasitha De Silva coming off one loss from day 1 and one win from day 2, was given full responsibility of driving the Lankans home. Jirat Navasirisomboon, facing defeat at the racket of Sharmal Dissanayake on Day 1, was to pull his socks up for the Thai’s to keep their record alive. With dark clouds swooping in, the two men took to court for the do or die showdown. A fine performance by both players on display for the massive crowd present at the Sri Lanka Tennis Association.
The stats prove to be in line with each other after the first set with just one break by Jirat, but by the second set, the Thai had grasped the rhythem of the game a bit too well for Yasitha’s likes. Interestingly, Jirat left no room for Yasitha to break serve while he pounced at 3 breaks of 5 chances himself. With a higher percentage of wins with the first serve, Jirat conquered in this thrilling decider 7/5, 6/2 at the end of 80 minutes on the dot.
Photos – Sri Lanka v Thailand – Davis Cup (Day 2)
Photos of Sri Lanka v Thailand – Davis Cup (Day 2)..
Sri Lanka will now face Indonesia on the 7th and 8th of April on home soil with one last push to remain in the hard earned spot in group II.
