Huey: PH tennis on the upswing

TREAT Huey’s next focus is to put Philippine tennis back into the mainstream.

Already the world’s No. 35 in doubles, the country’s Davis Cup star said he wants to see the Filipino netters get the same accolade as the country’s basketball, football and boxing stars.

And based on the success of the recent Philippine Columbian Association (PCA) Open, the 27-year-old lefty known for his cool demeanor, said PH tennis is on the right path.

“It’s been great. PCA is the biggest tournament here in the Philippines. Everybody coming back to play and having Johnny (Arcilla) and all the Davis Cup team here is good for Philippine tennis,” said Huey, who finished runner-up in doubles and reached the quarterfinals in singles last week.

“Trying to make tennis bigger and bigger in the Philippines is I think what we did this week. It was great and there were a lot of fans that came out,” he added.

Huey cited the help being provided by long-time patron Jean Henri Lhuillier, who supports the country’s Davis Cup campaigns and vows to once again bankroll the PH Cuppers stint against Syria in February in a Group 2 tie that is slated to be held here.

“Jean Henri and Cebuana Lhuillier helped me so much. He helped me in travelling and is supporting me. We want to make tennis more mainstream and we are trying to do that,” Huey added.

He noted that with the present crop of young players, the country has what it takes to shoot back into Group 1 and once again rule the Southeast Asian Games next year and even the Asian Games in 2014.

Huey, who is looking to break into the top 20 in doubles by yearend, is preparing with partner Dominic Inglot for the Australian Open in January.