At A Glance
- The Philippine women's tennis team recovered from its opening loss and turned back Uzbekistan, 2-1, for its first win in the 2025 Billie Jean King Cup Asia/Oceania Group II at the National Tennis Centre in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Tuesday, June 17.
The Philippine women’s tennis team recovered from its opening loss and turned back Uzbekistan, 2-1, for its first win in the 2025 Billie Jean King Cup Asia/Oceania Group II at the National Tennis Centre in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Tuesday, June 17.
Tied at 1-1 after two singles games, Shaira Hope Rivera and Alexa Joy Milliam brought their A-game and shrugged off a first-set hiccup before toppling Uzbek Daria Shubina and Nigina Abduraimova, 3-6, 6-3, 10-8, to prevail in their doubles duel.
It gave the Nationals their first victory after succumbing to Indonesia, 3-0, in their opening game last Monday, June 16.
The Philippines now improved its record to 1-1 and tied Pacific Oceania and ahead of Uzbekistan (0-1) and Iran (0-1).
Indonesia, meanwhile, remained at the top of the standings with a 2-0 tally as it notched a 2-1 escape over the Pacific Oceania bets.
Prior to their triumph over Uzbekistan, Tennielle Madis had a strong opening but later lost her edge and bowed to Shubina in Match 1, 4-6, 6-3, 6-1.
After seeing her teammate Madis falter, Rivera, for her part, didn’t let the game slip this time as she beat Abduraimova in Match 2 where she essayed a 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 win.
The Philippines must prevail in its next two games in the following days against Iran and Pacific Oceania in order to boost its chances to qualify for the promotional playoff.
Last December, the Nationals got promoted from Group III to Group II after Alex Eala led the way in a dominant campaign of the Filipina netters in Bahrain.