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Invacare World Team Championship Group 2:
SL finish third, narrowly miss promotion
Sri Lanka finished a creditable third in the 12-nation Invacare World
Team Championship Group 2 which was concluded in Seoul last weekend.
In the playoff for third place, Sri Lanka comfortably overcame
Germany, 2/0, with soldiers Upali Rajakaruna and Gamini Dissanayake,
both battlefield victims, winning their respective singles.
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Upali Rajakaruna |
The Sri Lankans had issued notice of their challenge in the
preliminary round when they overcame Slovakia, 2/0 and third seed Italy,
2/1 to top Group C - and qualify for a semifinal meeting with South
Africa. Unfortunately, the semifinal turned out to be on the Sri Lankan
pair's first and only off- day in the week-long championship where
Rajakaruna and Dissanayake both lost in straight sets. "Losing to the
South Africans was disappointing, as Dissanayake had beaten the South
African he lost to (in Korea) at the Negombo Open last March. Similarly,
they defeated the South Africans in the doubles at Negombo and the SSC
Open tournaments.
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D. M. Gamini |
The saddest part of the semifinal loss was that it cost the country's
promotion to Group 1 of next year's World Championship.
This is the second time Sri Lanka missed out on Group 1 promotion.
Earlier in 2010, too, Sri Lanka finished in third.
"Finishing third twice in three years is a clear indication that
Group 1 promotion is achievable, and so it is the responsibility of the
SLTA to make it happen," said the SLTA's wheelchair Tennis Secretary
Col. Shiran Abeysekera.
ALTA President Iqbal Bin Issack emphasized the importance of securing
funding to provide the players more frequent overseas exposure, in order
to develop wheel chair tennis.
"Achieving the Group 1 promotion next year will be on top of our
priority list," he also said.
Sri Lanka won four of its five matches to finish in third place.
Dissanayake won four singles and Rajakaruna won three singles while the
duo emerged winners in four doubles matches.
Sri Lanka had the consolation of finishing ahead of countries like
Germany, Australia, Canada, Italy and Switzerland, which are considered
to be developed countries with superior facilities. AA |
