Qatar, Myanmar promoted in Davis Cup

TDT | Manama    

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Qatar and Myanmar both won promotion yesterday to Asia/Oceania Group IV for next year’s Davis Cup competition.

The pair claimed their places after finishing as the top two teams in this year’s Asia/Oceania Group V tournament, hosted by the Kingdom.

The Qataris swept Mongolia 3-0 in their promotional playoff, while Myanmar defeated Laos 2-1.

This year’s Asia/Oceania Group V event wrapped up yesterday at the Bahrain Tennis Federation (BTF) hard courts in Isa Town.

In Qatar’s triumph yesterday, Mashari Naif kicked things off with a tough 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 win over Munkhbaatar Badrakh in their singles clash, and then Mubarak Alharasi beat Oyunbat Baatar 6-2, 6-2 in the follow-up singles match.

The Qataris completed their triumph with Issa Alharasi and Rashed Naif taking a 6-1, 6-3 win against Mongolia’s Sonompuntsag Enkhjargal and Undrakh Purevdorj.

Meanwhile, in Myanmar’s narrow win, Myu Paing Min started the match-up off with a 6-3, 6-1 win against Laos’ Xaysavah Chansomphou.

Sataporn Simmalavong then won against Myanmar’s Hein Latt Kyaw 6-4, 6-1, but Min and Aung Myo Thant defeated Ananda Khamphoumany and Simmalavong 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 to take the victory for Myanmar.

Also yesterday, Bahrain defeated Brunei 2-1 to claim fifth overall on the competition’s final ranking, while Nepal outplayed the Maldives 3-0 to take seventh.

Macau were classified ninth after defeating Bhutan 2-1, while Yemen swept Bangladesh 3-0 to take 11th place.

Thirteen men’s national teams from across the continent took part in this year’s Asia/Oceania Group V competition. Only two teams gain promotion.

The Davis Cup is one of the premier world competitions for men’s tennis, run by the International Tennis Federation (ITF). The Kingdom is hosting Asia/ Oceania group matches for the third successive year.

This year’s event was held directly after the BTF’s hosting of the 2023 Billie Jean King Cup Asia/Oceania Zone Group III.

The two tournaments are to be followed by three successive International Tennis Federation (ITF) junior championships.

Two of these competitions will be J30 events, with the first being held from tomorrow to 4 November, followed by a second from 6 November to 11 November.

The third, a J60 tournament, will then take place from 13 November to 18 November.

All three competitions are part of the ITF World Tennis Tour Juniors, featuring the world’s top tennis talents aged 13 to 18. Each event in the Kingdom will feature play in boys’ and girls’ singles and doubles.