Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece serves against Alberto Lim of the Philippines during their Davis Cup World Group II tie first round singles match in Manila. —AP
There was a brief exchange where Alberto Lim Jr. carved out his Davis Cup moment. He held serve in the first game of the second set and threatened to drill his way out of a 0-40 hole in the next. He blasted a passing shot past Stefanos Tsitsipas and then—riding on newfound boldness funded by a crowd rooting for him—crafted a feathery drop at the net after stranding the world No. 6 at the baseline.
But just as the Philippine Columbian Association (PCA) was getting loud, Tsitsipas detonated an ace that tied the game at 1-1. Everything fell silent again for the Philippines from that point onward.
The 6-foot-4 Tsitsipas went on to win the next five games for a 6-2, 6-1 victory over Lim to underscore the talent disparity between the two countries playing out their tie under a new home-and-away format.
Tsitsipas’ younger brother Petros surrendered just as many games to Jeson Patrombon, his 6-2, 6-1 victory greasing Greece’s path to a commanding 2-0 lead in the tie.
No sweat for the visitors. Figuratively only, judging by the way Stefanos’ drenched shirt plastered itself against his chiseled six-pack in the roast-pit venue.
“The place was like sauna, I won’t lie to you,” Stefanos said. “But at least I got a good cardio.”
Translated: For all the trouble the Philippines went through, it was just another workout for the Tsitsipas siblings.
Stefanos praised Lim, however, saying the Filipino star “brought me into rally situations where I had to really work to win the points.”
“He played well,” Stefanos added, but felt that Lim was “very nervous” and only “slightly improved” in the second set.
The full-packed crowd was appreciative of the quality the Greeks showed, mobbing the 21-year-old Stefanos for selfies after the match.
And the superstar was accommodating.
“Please wait, we’ll have a signing session later, I promise everyone will get their turn,” Stefanos told the crowd at the sprawling lanai area of the PCA.
It might be the last the crowd will see Stefanos wielding a racket, though.
The Philippine last hope is on the doubles pair of Ruben Gonzales and Francis Casey Alcantara, who will try to keep the campaign alive when they face Petros and Markos Kalovelonis in Saturday’s doubles.