PH’s Huey-Gonzales rips Sri Lankans, takes 2-1 lead

Treaty Huey. Photo from https://www.thesabre.com

Treaty Huey and Ruben Gonzales joined hands to crush Sri Lanka’s Harshana Godamanna and Rajeev Rajapakse, 6-1, 6-0, 6-1, Saturday (Manila time) as the Philippines moved to within a win of clinching their Davis Cup Asia/Oceania Group 2 first round tie in Colombo.

Huey and Gonzales’ emphatic victory gave the Filipinos a 2-1 lead in the tie, needing just a win in the two reverse singles today to advance.

Huey, the world No. 22 in doubles and quarterfinalist in the last two Grand Slam events, worked seamlessly with Gonzales who will be his partner for the coming Asian Games in Incheon.

Gonzales will battle Godamanna in the first of two reverse singles pitting each country’s No. 1 players. John Patrick Tierro faces Thangarajah Dineshkanthan in the fifth rubber.

US-trained Godamanna hacked out a 6-3, 6-7 (10-8), 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 win over Tierro on Friday in the opening singles.

But Gonzales tied the score with an easy 6-3, 6-3, 6-0 triumph over Dineshkanthan.

PH Davis Cup administrator Randy Villanueva, team captain Roland Kraut and manager Jean Henri Lhuillier expressed confidence in Gonzales and Tierro to accomplish the mission.

Huey and Gonzales’ doubles victory in one hour and 30 minutes, lifted the Filipinos’ morale of beating Sri Lanka for the eighth straight time.