PH Cuppers open bid vs Taiwanese

Jeson Patrombon will launch the campaign of the Cebuana Lhuillier-Philippine Davis Cup team against Chinese Taipei in their Asia-Oceania Group 2 tie starting today in Kaohsiung.

The 22-year-old Patrombon, the country’s No. 1 player, battles Chinese Taiwanese No. 2 Hung Jui-chen in the opening singles, slated at 11 a.m. at Kaohsiung Yangming outdoor center.

Patrick John Tierro, the second-ranked Filipino, takes on Chinese Taipei top gun Lu Yen-hsun, the tie’s highest-ranked player at 61st in the world, in the second singles.

Treat Huey and Ruben Gonzales will partner in tomorrow’s doubles, slated at 2 p.m. In Sunday’s reverse singles, Patrombon squares off with Lu, while Tierro locks horns with Hung.

“It’s the draw that we want as Jeson has the biggest chance to score for us on the first day,” said PH team manager Jean Henri Lhuillier.

Lhuillier, who is also the chair of the Philippine Tennis Association, expressed confidence in winning the tie despite the fact that the country lost its last two meetings against the Taiwanese.

Both the Philippines and Chinese Taipei are coming off 5-0 routs in their first-round ties over Pakistan and Lebanon, respectively.

Aside from Patrombon, Lhuillier is also upbeat about the tandem of Huey and Gonzales which played its first ATP Tour doubles match at the same venue.

The team is not discounting the possibility of a resurgent Tierro stunning Lu.