Viet Nam have been dropped to Group III in the Davis Cup’s Asia/Oceania zone after losing 0-5 to Iran in the play-off in Isfahan City, Iran.

Vietnamese Davis Cup team in Iran. 

The main reason for the loss was the absence of No 1 player Ly Hoang Nam, who has not recovered from his hip-joint injury, while key player Nguyen Hoang Thien suffered a twisted ankle during his singles game on Friday.

On Sunday, Le Quoc Khanh lost 3-6, 2-6 to Amirvala Madanchi. Later, Pham Minh Tuan was defeated 3-6, 3-6 by Hamid Reza Nadaf.

On Saturday,  Tuan, who replaced Thien in the doubles match, and  Khanh, failed to beat the hosts’ duo Madanchi and Ashkan Shokoofi, losing 4-6, 4-6, 4-6.

The Vietnamese side lost both singles matches on Thursday.

Vietnamese captain Truong Quoc Bao said it was not a difficult task for his team to remain in Group II if he had his best players in action. However, he said the defeat would allow him to review his squad’s ability to return stronger next year. 

VNS