ITF Fed Cup Group II sets off in Hyderabad
View(s):Sri Lanka will compete along seven other nations with intentions of reaching the next level when the ITF Fed Cup Asia/Oceania Zone Groups II Tennis Championship sets off in Hyderabad, India. The week-long eight-nation competition will be held at the SAAP Tennis Complex in Fateh Maidan in Basheerbagh, Hyderabad beginning from tomorrow.
Sri Lanka will field a team of five with three officials accompanying them. The all-girl Sri Lanka team includes country’s top players Medhira Samarasinghe, Amritha Muttiah, Nethmi Waduge, Thisuri Molligoda with Shalini de Silva acting as captain cum coach. Harshana Godamanna travels with as the Fed Cup team coach along with Sujani Bogollagama, who has been appointed as the manager. Udith Wickremasinghe will be a part of the unit as an official representing the Sri Lanka Tennis Association.
Despite New Zealand making a last minute withdrawal, the competition, sponsored by BNP Paribas, will include top contenders of Asia, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Oman, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Turkmenistan, hosts India and the Pacific Oceania nations.
The captain’s meeting of the competition will be held at 10.30am tomorrow at the host hotel of the tournament, the Taj Deccan. This will be followed by the official draw where teams will be drafted into four groups, three of three teams and one of four teams.
The round robin stage of the competition will begin on Tuesday from 10.30am with three pools of three teams and a pool of four teams contesting. After the conclusion of the round robin stage teams will play two rounds of playoff matches which will exclude the fourth team to be placed in the pool of four teams. Teams to top each pool will contest in a second playoff round where the country to perform at the highest level will be guaranteed with promotion to the ITF Asia/Oceania Zone Group I in 2016.
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The Sri Lanka Fed Cup 2015 team: (From left): Harshana Godamanne (Coach, Fed Cup team), Shalini de Silva (Coach/Captain), Amritha Muttiah, Medhira Samarasinghe, Thisuri Molligoda, Nethmie Waduge, Sujani Bogollagama (Manager Fed Cup team) and Udith Wickremasinghe (Chairman, Tournament and Matches SLTA) with Iqbal bin Issack the President of SLTA (at centre) prior to their departure