At A Glance
- The Philippines kicked off its Davis Cup Asia-Oceania Group IV campaign with a dominant 3-0 sweep of Pacific Oceania on Wednesday, July 16, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
The Philippine Davis Cup team opens its campaign on a high note. (PHILTA)
The Philippines kicked off its Davis Cup Asia-Oceania Group IV campaign with a dominant 3-0 sweep of Pacific Oceania on Wednesday, July 16, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Jed Olivarez set the tone for the Filipinos with a solid 6-4, 6-3 victory over Gillian Osmont in the opening singles match. AJ Lim followed up with a gritty performance, rallying from a tight first set to defeat Nickolas Ngodrela, 7-5, 6-1, in the second singles.
Veteran Davis Cup duo and Southeast Asian Games champions Francis Casey Alcantara and Ruben Gonzales capped the sweep with a commanding 7-5, 6-2 win over Brett Baudinet and Maka Ofati in the non-bearing doubles match.
Former Davis Cup team manager Jean Henri Lhuillier lauded the efforts of the team, particularly Cebuana Lhuillier ambassadors Lim, Alcantara and Gonzales.
“We’re thrilled with AJ Lim’s strong start and decisive win—it was a great momentum builder for the team,” said Lhuillier, also CEO of Cebuana Lhuillier and President of Unified Tennis Philippines (UTP).
"We’re equally proud of Niño and Ruben, who continue to be a reliable and powerful force in doubles. With this performance and depth across the roster, I believe the Philippines will emerge victorious until the end,” he added.
Next up for the PH netters are ties against Kuwait and Qatar in the round-robin format, with the team needing a Top 2 finish in the group to qualify for the promotional playoffs to Group III. Earlier in the day, Qatar edged Kuwait, 2-1.
Group A includes Malaysia, Kyrgyzstan, Iraq, and Nepal. Malaysia swept Nepal, 3-0, while Kyrgyzstan outlasted Iraq, 2-1.