PH Cuppers out to get back at Taiwanese

THE CEBUANA Lhuillier-Philippine Davis Cup team is upbeat about its chances against Chinese Taipei when they clash in an Asia-Oceania Group 2 second-round tie on July 15 to 17 at Philippine Columbian Association shell-clay courts.

Despite losing the last three ties to the Taiwanese, the Filipinos are banking on mainstays Treat Huey, Ruben Gonzales, Jeson Patrombon and Francis Casey Alcantara, who are all coming off impressive campaigns overseas, to reverse the result this time.

The Philippines holds a slight 4-3 edge head-to-head over Chinese Taipei, but it lost the last tie it hosted in 2011, in Plantation Bay in Cebu.

“I am so excited about this match with Chinese Taipei,” said team manager Jean Henri Lhuillier. “I’m confident we will do better this time as our players have been training and competing internationally the past months.”

The Philippine Tennis Association chair and CEO of Cebuana Lhuillier added that the Taiwanese may have higher rankings but the hosts could nullify that with home court advantage.

Huey is currently competing in Wimbledon men’s doubles along with Max Mirnyi of Belarus. The pair reached the quarterfinals of the Aegon Open. Gonzales made it deep in the draw in two recent ITF Futures.

The winner of the tie will face the victor of the Thailand-Vietnam duel for the right to advance to Group 1 next year.