Cuppers stay alive as Mamiit, Huey score

CECIL MAMIIT bucked a hurting right hand and teamed up with Treat Huey to win the doubles yesterday and keep the Philippine Davis Cup hopes alive in its Asia/Oceania Group 1 tie against host South Korea.

The Fil-Am partnership downed Kim Hyun-joon and Seol Jae-min, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4, as the Cebuana Lhuillier-Davis Cup squad remained alive after dropping the two opening singles Friday at the Changwon Municipal Tennis Courts.

Mamiit and Huey took over from Johnny Arcilla and Elbert Anasta, who were earlier nominated  to play doubles.

The 34-year-old Mamiit strained his hitting hand during his opening singles match against 17-year-old Jeong Suk-young, came back from two sets down to win the second singles, 0-6, 1-6, 6-3, 6-0, 6-2.

But the playing team captain said he felt his body had recovered very well overnight and he decided to play in the doubles matches.

“Cecil just decided to play the doubles this morning and had a meeting during breakfast with the team,” said team manager Jean Henri Lhuillier.

Davis Cup rules allow changes in lineup one hour before the matches. Arcilla, an experienced Davis Cupper, acted as team captain during the doubles.

Mamiit will try to sustain RP’s momentum  when he takes on Korea’s top player, 19-year-old Lim Yong-kyu, in the first of the two reverse singles today.

Huey battles Jeong in the second reverse singles.

“At least we all know now that both the reverse singles are winnable,” added a relieved Lhuillier after the two-hour doubles match.

Lim drew first blood for the Koreans by beating Huey, 6-7 (8-10), 6-2, 7-6 (9-7), 7-6 (7-4), in a marathon heartbreaker for the Filipino Cuppers.

The Philippines, loser to Japan and Chinese Taipei early this year, is trying to avoid sliding back to Group 2 like South Korea, which fell to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan in its two previous ties.

The odds are stacked against the Filipinos as the Koreans have won the last five of eight ties.