Mamiit, Huey play tennis atop bridge

The Cebuana Lhuillier-Philippine Davis Cup team hopes to stir the crowd’s interest when Cecil Mamiit and Treat Huey play an exhibition match Monday atop the busy Marcelo Fernan Bridge in Cebu.

Mamiit and Huey will team up with Cebu Gov. Gwen Garcia and Lapu Lapu City Mayor Paz Radaza, respectively in a single-set mixed doubles match slated at 2:30 p.m.

For an hour, authorities will divert traffic from the bridge which links Mandaue City with Lapu Lapu City, site of the PH-Chinese Taipei Group 1 tie which begins September 16, at Plantation Bay.

Cebu sportswriter and businessman John Pages said the match atop the bridge is a first in the country though similar exhibition stunts have been done before featuring tennis greats Roger Federer, Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras.

“Right at the topmost, flat portion of the Marcelo Fernan Bridge…racquets will swing, balls will fly and cameras will click,” said Pages, who is also one of the organizers of the Asia/Oceania relegation playoff. “It’s going to be a Youtube moment.”

Mamiit, Huey, Jeson Patrombon, Johnny Arcilla and Ruben Gonzales will banner the Philippine team against Chinese Taipei in the Davis Cup relegation tie this week.

The country has been playing in Group 1 in the last two years while Chinese Taipei is a Group 1 fixture for 10 years.

Agassi and Federer were filmed playing atop the helipad of Burj Al-Arab in Dubai, while Agassi and Sampas famously “stopped” traffic in a New York City street when they whipped up an impromptu match to promote a shoe brand.

Mamiit has been calling for local support at the venue for the “tough match” and is also asking for a television coverage to help build up public interest.

Plantation Bay Spa and Resort general manager Efren Belarmino said tickets for the three-day tie are selling briskly.

The world-class resort also hosted the PH-Japan tie last March on its specially built shell-clay courts that can seat 2,000 spectators.