Turkmen tennis players will take part in the Davis Cup zonal tournament, which starts today in Colombo.

The capital of Sri Lanka is hosting the qualifying tournament for Group IV of the Asia-Oceania zone, in which seven teams will compete, divided into two groups of three and four teams.

Following the draw, the Turkmenistan team was placed in Group «B» along with Iraq, Kyrgyzstan, and Kuwait. Group «A» will feature Qatar, the Northern Mariana Islands, and Sri Lanka.

The teams that finish first and second in each group will compete in the playoffs next year for two spots in Group III of the Asia-Oceania zone.

The third-place teams in their groups will play each other in a playoff for the right to remain in Asia/Oceania Zone Group IV. The losing team will be relegated to Asia/Oceania Zone Group V along with the fourth-place team in Group «B».

In the first match, Turkmen tennis players will play against the Kuwaiti team.

The Turkmenistan team at the Davis Cup is represented by Yuriy Rogusskiy, Selim Chagylov, Ali Geldiyev, and Resul Atayev. Team captain is Meylis Orazmuhammedov. Head coach is Mirali Gasanov. Fitness trainer is Samir Agabek.

The tennis players of Turkmenistan have been competing in the Davis Cup since 2004. Last year, at the Davis Cup Group «V» Zonal Tournament in Isa Town, Bahrain, our compatriots confidently won Group «C», beating Brunei, Bangladesh, and Bahrain 3-0 in succession. They then defeated Guam 3-0 in the playoff match to secure a spot in Group IV of the Asia-Oceania Zone. The Turkmenistan team at the Davis Cup tournament of the last year was represented by Yuriy Rogusskiy, Meylis Orazmuhamedov, Selim Chagylov, Allanur Dayanjov, and Ali Geldiyev. Mirali Gasanov served as team captain, and Gurbanberdi Gurbanberdiyev served as coach.