H S Manjunath and Ung Chamroeun
Sunday, 22 April 2012
Phnom Penh Post
Cambodia scripted a fairytale ending to its inaugural Davis Cup campaign
by earning a promotional ticket to Group III next year along with the
United Arab Emirates.
In a sensational climax to the week-long
Asia Oceania Group IV series at the Khalifa International Tennis Complex
in Doha, Cambodia raced to their fifth straight victory, outplaying
tough Turkmenistan 3-0 on Saturday while United Arab Emirates prevailed
over hosts Qatar 2-1 in the two promotional playoffs.
The triumphant Cambodian squad returned home yesterday afternoon to a rousing reception at the Phnom Penh International Airport.
“This
was our first time in the Davis Cup, and we were considered the
underdogs of the group. However, we didn’t go there to lose, we went
there to win,” President of the Tennis Federation of Cambodia and
Minister of Commerce Cham Prasidh told the Post yesterday evening after
greeting the team at the arrivals gate.
“Our victory is no small
achievement as we beat five separate nations. It is a surprising
result, but one that we hold with great pride.”
The Minister revealed he had suffered a string of sleepless nights in response to the unrelenting good news from Doha.
“I
couldn’t sleep, I was so happy,” he said. “We won because of a supreme
effort from the players and team, and our international-standard
facility at the National Training Centre [next to the Cambodian Country
Club].
“The ability is improving from one year to the next.”
Cham
Prasidh expressed the need to continue this winning mentality at future
international events while also reclaiming the use of courts at Olympic
Stadium and helping them get back to a top-level playing surface.
Cambodia’s non-playing captain Tep Rithivit, meanwhile, described their run as a “Cinderella story”.
“We are unbeaten. This promotion ticket is a game-changer for Cambodian tennis,” he told the Post yesterday.
“Imagine
what we have achieved [in our] first season with fewer than 30 tennis
courts in the whole of Cambodia. The Doha complex has 27 courts.
“That puts this amazing feat in perspective. It is such an inspiration for all the tennis playing kids back home.”
Singles sensations
Cambodia’s
dream debut was given its expected happy ending by Bun Kenny and Mam
Panhara, both of whom zealously guarded their unbeaten records during
the week in singles rubbers.
Turkmenistan were one of the best
teams in the competition, and their round-robin run in Pool A had just
one blemish: a 1-2 loss to United Arab Emirates. But on the hard court
at Khalifa, Cambodia cracked the tough nut in the easiest of fashions.
Mam Panhara gave Cambodia a flying start, just like he had done in the four previous ties.
His
6-0, 6-0 victory over Eriz Davletov brightened up the mood in the camp,
and in the next hour, Bun Kenny ensured Cambodia were clutching the
promotion ticket.
Kenny swept aside Alexandr Ernepesov 6-3, 6-0 to see Cambodia happily home and dry.
The
Mam brothers, Panhara and Vetu, took the court in a visibly relaxed
frame of mind and were soon stringing together their first doubles
victory: 7-5, 6-2 over Eriz Davletov and Jamsin Il Muradov.
“Kenny
was cruising in all his singles matches. He was apparently superior to
his opponents. He did bring a great amount of energy and passion every
day,” Cambodia’s head coach Braen Aneiros, himself a former Davis Cupper
for Panama, said.
“Panhara was also quite impressive. He won all
his matches to give us that crucial 1-0 lead. I think that helped Kenny
a great deal to play with less pressure. Even though Panhara won all
his singles matches in straight sets, he had quite a few battles.”
Cambodia No 1 Bun Kenny had a mile-wide smile on his return to Phnom Penh.
“We
just made our debut, and I never thought we could win all five ties. We
showed our strength was substantial,” he told the Post during an
interview at the airport.
“All my matches were difficult,
especially the final one [against Turkmenistan], during which I lost
three games in the first set.
“We tried so hard because we were playing for our country and there were a lot of fans backing us.”
Mam Panhara was also delighted with his five wins from five singles matches.
“I’m happy that I could play well, and happy that I can represent Cambodia,” the US-based player said.
“I
didnt think about winning [all five matches]. The first match came up
and I tried to fight as hard as I could. I took one match at a time, and
I was lucky enough to win all five.
“It wasn’t easy. It was
pretty tough for me, as I was the first one to go on every day. So I
felt I had a lot of pressure on me. After I got past the first one,
however, the doubles matches felt more relaxed.”
Sponsors thrilled
The
main sponsor of Cambodia’s Mission to Doha campaign, entertainment and
gaming sector giant NagaWorld, said it took great pride in what the
Davis Cup team had accomplished.
“It’s a great feeling for us to share this historic moment of success with the Cambodian tennis squad.
“It
has been an unforgettable experience for us in Doha, feeling all the
courtside excitement and witnessing this spectacular turn of events,”
NagaWorld vice-president of events, promotion and entertainment Rajesh
Kumar told the Post.
Cambodia’s first-time succ-ess has triggered a wave of congratulatory messages from around the world.
Among
those who have expressed their admiration include the top brass at the
International Tennis Federation – president Francesco Ricci Bitti,
executive director Dave Miley and development officer for the Southeast
Asian region Suresh Menon – as well as Asian Tennis Federation chief
Anil Khanna.
In other playoff matches on Saturday to decide the
final placings, Saudi Arabia downed Singapore 2-1 in the 5th to 6th
place contest. Down the line, Jordan beat Iraq 3-0 and Myanmar defeated
Bahrain 3-0.
Cambodia down Jordan
Cambodia
had polished off the round-robin stage on Friday with a well crafted
2-1 victory over Jordan to top Pool B with an all-win record. Mam
Panhara gave Cambodia a 1-0 lead when he disposed of El Hourani 6-1,
6-2. Kenny wrapped up the tie for Cambodia, making short work of Sief
Adas 6-1, 6-1, dropping his first games in three matches.
Non-playing
captain Tep Rithivit, who is also TFC secretary-general, blooded the
baby of the team, Long Samneang ,in the dead doubles rubber.
In
the company of Mam Vetu, Long Samneang put up a spirited show but that
wasn’t enough to contain Jordanian pair Abu Dayeh and Seif Adas, who
went on to win 6-4, 6-1 to earn a consolation rubber.
Pool A saw a
tantalising twist on Friday when group leaders Turkmenistan were edged
out in the final round robin tie 2-1 by the United Arab Emirates, who
secured top spot with the victory to set up a semi-final showdown with
Pool B runners-up Qatar.
Looking forward
Despite
their trailblazing debut in Qatar, Cambodia will not be expecting such
overwhelming success in next year’s Asia/Oceania Zone Group III
competition.
Their opponents in 2013 will become clear by the
end of the week, with this year’s edition getting under way on Wednesday
at the Enghelab Sport Complex in Tehran, Iran.
Cambodia’s
regional rivals Vietnam and Malaysia are the top-ranked nations in the
eight-team event – which includes Bangladesh, Iran, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan,
Oman and Syria – and will fancy their chances of obtaining one of two
berths to Group II.
To contact the reporters on this story: H S Manjunath and Ung Chamroeun at newsroom@phnompenhpost.com
With assistance from Dan Riley
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