At A Glance
- The Philippine routed Kyrgyzstan, 2-0, to earn promotion to Group III in the Davis Cup Asia Oceania Zone on Saturday, July 19, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Philippine Davis Cup team is promoted to Group III after a dominant performance in the Asia Oceania Zone Group IV. (Francis Casey Alcantara Facebook)
The Philippine routed Kyrgyzstan, 2-0, to earn promotion to Group III in the Davis Cup Asia Oceania Zone on Saturday, July 19, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Jed Olivarez set the tone for the Filipinos with a 6-1, 6-3 victory over Kirill Kistanov in the first singles, before AJ Lim sealed the tie win with a 6-3, 6-3 triumph over Ilgiz Kamchibekov in the second singles.
With Lim’s win, the non-bearing doubles match pitting Francis Casey Alcantara and Ruben Gonzales against Erbol Eldiyar Uulu and Kistanov was called off.
It was an impressive performance for the PH squad, which never dropped a single match since the group stage. They finished Pool B unscathed with 3-0 victories over Pacific Oceania, Kuwait and Qatar that earned them a promotional playoff match against Kyrgyzstan.
The Kyrgyz, meanwhile, remained in Group IV.
Also getting promoted to Group III was Malaysia, which blanked Qatar, 2-0, in the other pairing.
The PH team is also composed of Davis Cup veteran Ruben Gonzales and Arthur Craig Pantino, with Joseph Lizardo as team captain.
Former Davis Cup team manager and longtime tennis supporter Jean Henri Lhuillier expressed pride in the team's achievement.
"This promotion is a testament to the team's hard work, discipline and fighting spirit," said Lhuillier, who is also president of Unified Tennis Philippines.
"Our players have embodied the true spirit of Laban Pilipinas -- relentless, united and determined to bring Philippine tennis to greater heights. From start to finish, our players have shown that Philippine tennis is ready to make its mark again in the Davis Cup," he added.