Taiwan Cuppers top Group 2 tie

CHINESE Taipei clinched the tie against the Cebuana Lhuillier-Philippine Davis Cup team after No. 1 player Chen Ti upended Jeson Patrombon, 3-6, 7-6 (7-4), 6-0, 6-1, yesterday to give the visitors an unbeatable 3-1 lead at Philippine Columbian Association in Paco, Manila.

The 32-year-old Chen, ranked No. 226th in the world in singles, clawed back from one set down and 0-4 in the second set to equalize via tiebreak en route to handing the Taiwanese the Asia/Oceania Group 2 semifinal victory.

Chinese Taipei will now march on to Group 1 against either Vietnam or Thailand, while the Philippines will stay in Group 2 for a sixth straight year in 2017.

Both camps opted not to play the reverse singles anymore. The Filipinos won their first four encounters while the Taiwanese topped the last four.

Team captain Karl Santamaria still commended his players but rued the fact that the Filipinos “lacked a solid singles player like Cecil (Mamiit) who, when he’s playing, you can almost be assured you got a win.”

He added that young guns like Alberto Lim Jr. and Jurence Mendoza are also in the radar screen but “it’s not for me to pick. If they get picked (by Philippine Tennis Association) then it’s well worth the shot.”

Chen opened the Taiwanese charge with a 6-2, 2-6, 6-2, 6-2 victory over Ruben Gonzales in the first match on Friday, before Francis Casey Alcantara suffered cramps to bow to Huang Liang-chi, 6-1, 3-6, 6-7 (4), 6-1, 1-0 (retired), in the second match.

Treat Huey and Gonzales repelled Hung Jui-chen and Wang Chieh-fu, (6-7 (9-7), 6-2, 6-3,
6-4), in Saturday’s doubles.