The Future of Turkmen Tennis: Junior National Team Ranks Among Asia's Top 4 Teams

The junior national team of Turkmenistan has successfully concluded its performance in the preliminary stage of the Davis Cup (U16) qualifying round for the Asia and Oceania zone. In this prestigious competition held in Colombo, our compatriots secured fourth place among 15 teams. This marks the highest result ever achieved in the history of our country in this tournament.

The Turkmenistan national team was represented on the court by Suleyman Hudayberdiyew, Aly Geldiyew, and Kerimgeldi Guldurdyýew. The Turkmen tennis players' journey to the top rankings began with a confident leadership in Group "B". Our juniors defeated the Oman national team 3-0 and secured victories over strong opponents from Myanmar and Singapore in intense matches. In the quarterfinals, the Turkmen athletes confirmed their superior skills by defeating their peers from the Philippines.

Despite the heavy physical toll in the semi-finals against Vietnam and in the bronze medal match against the hosts, Sri Lanka, our athletes demonstrated iron will and high proficiency, narrowly missing out on medals only after very closely contested matches.

The performance of Aly Geldiyew, who won five out of his six singles matches, deserves special recognition. With this result, he confirmed his status as one of the leaders in regional tennis. His teammates, Kerimgeldi Guldurdyýew and Suleyman Hudayberdiyew, also performed admirably. They already possess extensive experience from international competitions held in countries such as Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Thailand.

The preparation of the young tennis players was overseen by team captain Gurbanberdi Gurbanberdiyew and the athletes' personal coaches. Their professional expertise was the key to today’s success.

The Junior Davis Cup, held under the auspices of the International Tennis Federation (ITF) since 1985, is considered the unofficial world championship for athletes under the age of 16. This high achievement by Turkmen youth in Colombo will not only strengthen the international reputation of the national tennis school but also provide a strong impetus for the further development of this sport in Turkmenistan.

This success of the juniors confirms the effectiveness of the state strategy for supporting youth sports and preparing reserve athletes for the national teams.