Entertainment and gaming company NagaWorld has joined forces with the Tennis Federation of Cambodia for the second year in succession to exclusively sponsor the Kingdom’s Davis Cup team heading to Dubai for the Asia-Oceania Group III cycle beginning on September 11.

The eight contenders vying for two promotional tickets to Group II are Cambodia, Hong Kong, Iran, Malaysia, Oman, Pacific Oceania, United Arab Emirates and Vietnam.

Group III ties will be played mostly in the evenings in the UAE city (three hours behind Cambodian time) at the Aviation Tennis Club, home of the Dubai ATP 500.

The Cambodian squad, led by non-playing captain Tep Rithivit and including players Bun Kenny, Mam Phalkun, Mam Panhara and Long Samneang and national coach Braen Aneiros, will fly out of Phnom Penh this Sunday.

The eight competing teams will be split into two groups of four each. After the initial round-robin group stage, play-off matches will decide the final placings.

The top two teams move forward to Group II while the bottom two will be relegated to Group IV for the 2014 competition. An official draw to determine the groupings will be made a day prior to the opening round.

As the main sponsors of last year’s Mission to Doha, which saw the Cambodian team, which earned acclaim by winning a promotional ticket in its debut year, NagaWorld played a vital part in that success every step of the way.

The NagaWorld-TFC partnership reached another milestone when they sponsored the first of the three 2012 ITF Men’s Futures events in Phnom Penh during late November, strengthening an alliance that dates back to 2011.

“NagaWorld is proudly privileged to sponsor the Cambodian Davis Cup team again this year. We believe in continuity of support, which not only boosts the confidence of the team but also its performance. We are happy to share another great sporting moment for Cambodia,” Jerome Lee, vice president of events and entertainment at NagaWorld, said at a news conference yesterday.

“As a company based in Cambodia, we are happy to create an opportunity for Cambodian players to do their country proud, just like they did in Doha. Our on-going support for the junior initiatives will ensure that the next generation of good players are groomed so that the achievements and efforts of the past generations do not go in vain,” added the NagaWorld official.