By:
• Ung Chamroeun
• Kim Makara

• May 15, 2024 , 4:00 PM

PHNOM PENH – Tennis players are gearing up for the Davis Cup tennis tournament qualification round to be hosted by Cambodia for the first time in July.

The 2024 Davis Cup Asia/Oceania Group IV will take place from July 10 to 13 at Morodok Techo National Stadium, featuring Cambodia, Iraq, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Myanmar, Qatar, Sri Lanka and United Arab Emirates.

A team of five players will represent the host country including Tep Timothy, Bun Kenny, Leng Sarinreach, Phanthala Lucas Arthur and Matthew David Krusling. Kenny is the player with the most appearances for Cambodia, having played in ten Davis Cup tournaments since 2012.

Timothy has played since 2019 while Sarinreach appeared for the first time in 2023. Lucas will make his home court debut.

“We have confidence in the athletes because we have been training non-stop all year and our athletes are confidently ready for this event because we represent Cambodia and we will do our best,” team coach Braen Aneiros said. 

“I hope we will succeed and we go to the next stage.”

Cambodian athletes train regularly from Monday to Saturday from 8.30 to 11am and from 2 to 5pm.

Braen Aneiros said that if the players are not under pressure or stressed when facing strong opponents, they will do well.

“Every game we always expect to win. We hope to win despite knowing that the match will not be easy as all the participating teams are well prepared,” he said. 

“We just want our athletes to not be stressed and try to compete to the best of their ability. “I think if our athletes do, we will get good results." 

The event will have two pools with four teams each. With only two teams promote to Group III, fierce competition is expected. 

The top team in each pool will play a promotion play-off against the team finishing second in the other pool while the national team finishing in third place in each pool will play a relegation play-off against the team finishing fourth in the other pool.

Cambodia first joined the Group IV of Davis Cup, commonly known as the World Cup of Tennis, in Qatar in 2012 and reached Group III for the first time. Between 2013 and 2016 Cambodia didn’t qualify for the top-tier event, remaining in Group IV.

The country bounced back to Group III in 2017 in Bahrain. In 2018, the team was relegated again and played in the group until 2022. The event was cancelled in 2020 due to COVID-19.

In 2022, the team qualified for Group III but was relegated the next year.

 

Originally written in Khmer for ThmeyThmey, this article was translated by Torn Chanritheara for Cambodianess.