INQUIRER Sports

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippines expects stiff competition from visiting Pakistan when they meet in a key Davis Cup tie starting Friday next week.

Tennis officials said Friday that even though Filipino-American Cecil Mamiit is fresh off a stint in the Malaysian circuit and coming here a month ahead of the tie, the local crew will be hard-pressed to thwart the Pakistanis.

The visitors are bannered by Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi, their No.1 player who will arrive here on Monday straight from Wimbledon where he partnered India?s Prakash Amritraj to reach the doubles quarterfinals.

Qureshi was the missing link when the Filipinos routed the Pakistanis, 4-1, two years ago in their Asia Oceania Group 2 tie at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center. That win helped move the Filipinos to Group 1.

Still the RP Davis Cup team, supported by Cebuana Lhuillier and the Philippine Sports Commission, won?t be without Wimbledon flavor as mainstay Francis Casey Alcantara will return to the team after a first-round debacle in the juniors doubles.

Mamiit and Alcantara will be joined by Fil-Am Treat Huey and PJ Tierro, the same bunch which demolished Hong Kong to reach the Group 2 semifinals last April.