Dubai: It was again a case of a bridge too far as the UAE lost 0-2 to Syria to be relegated back into Group IV when the Asia-Oceania Davis Cup encounter concluded in Sri Lanka on Saturday.
Marking 25 years since making their debut in Davis Cup in 1993, all that the UAE had to do was get the better of an under-strength Syria in the relegation play-off.
Omar Bahroozian — for long the mainstay of the UAE’s Davis Cup aspirations — went down in three sets 6-4, 2-6, 3-6 against Yacoub Makzoume.
Young Fahd Al Janahi started off well but failed to rise to the occasion against Kareem Jallaf while losing 4-6, 2-6 in an hour and 14 minutes.
The UAE had gone through an intensive three-week preparation camp in France followed by a week spent in Colombo acclimatising before the start of the competition. After successive losses to Qatar, Lebanon and Malaysia, the UAE had brightened their chances of staying back in Group III with a hard-fought 2-1 win against Turkmenistan on Friday.
On Saturday, they were up against a three-member Syrian team who had travelled to Colombo without one of their players, Hazem Naw. However, even an under-strength squad was more than enough for Syria as they won both their singles to ensure their position in Group III while sending the UAE back into Group IV one more time after a one-year gap.
“We are all disappointed with our results. It is an unfortunate situation to be in as we need to take a fresh stance and start all over again,” coach Hichem Bramly told Gulf News.
“Our players tried their best during the entire week. But Omar [Bahroozian] who is 35 years old was playing his seventh match involving 18 sets in six days and that can be too much. He won the first set against a much younger opponent [Makzoume], but did not have the same level of intensity and energy in the next two sets. And to make matters worse, Makzoume began playing some very good tennis,” the coach reflected.
Bramly was full of praise for Bahroozian’s commitment. “For so many years, Omar has carried this team on his shoulders. I wish our juniors can hasten and make drastic improvements and raise their standard so that the national team can benefit,” he noted.
“We need to bring in some changes that will ensure we have a dedicated group of players who can represent and start winning matches for the country,” he added.
The UAE first participated in Davis Cup in 1993 and, since then, the country has alternated between Group III and IV. Their best performance so far came in 2002 when the UAE finished third in the Asia-Oceania zone Group III encounter.
UAE in Davis Cup
Group III: 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2002, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2017
Group IV: 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2015, 2016
