‘Tennis festival’ in Lapu-Lapu

CEBU, Philippines - It's a wish swiftly granted for the Cebuanos as the semifinal round of the 2013 Davis Cup Asia-Oceania Zone Group II action featuring the Philippines against Thailand will take place on April 5-7 back at the posh Plantation Bay Resort and Spa in Lapu-Lapu City.

As an added treat to Cebu sports fraternity, the Philippine Tennis Association (PHILTA) has also given the go signal for the staging of the 14th Truflex National Age-group Junior Tennis Championships also in Lapu-Lapu on April 1-7.

“It’s going to be a tennis festival here as it’s not only going to be Davis Cup that will be held here but also the Truflex National Age-Group,” said Davis Cup Philippines Administrator and PHILTA vice president Randy Villanueva in a press conference yesterday at Mooon Cafe in Cebu IT Park.

The Phl-Thailand duel will still be free to the public. 

The Filipinos and the Thais have battled it out five times in the prestigious international team tennis competitions. Phl enjoys a 3-2 edge head-to-head but the country has not beaten the Thais since the team of Manny Tolentino, Rodrigo Rafael, Felix Barrientos and Raymundo Suarez eked out a 4-2 victory over Thailand in the 1985 Eastern Quarterfinal Round in Bangkok.

The Thais have since won the next two meetings in Group II, 4-1 in the first round in 1998 and 4-1 in the final in 1999.

Phl and Thailand set up their sixth Davis Cup duel with victories over the weekend. The Pinoy Cuppers dispatched Syria, 3-2, at the Plantation Bay Resort and Spa here, while Thailand nipped Kuwait, 4-1, over in Kuwait City.

On the other hand, the Truflex event is a Group 1 PHILTA-sanctioned event, the biggest age-group to hit Cebu for that matter.

“So magiging double purpose na. Mas marami ang pupunta dito kasi yung mga bata maglalaro at manunuod din ng Davis Cup,” said Villanueva.

Cebu tennis patron John Pages said PHILTA's move is very beneficial to the age-groupers as the Davis Cup will surely inspire them to play well.

This is the fourth time for Lapu-Lapu City and Plantation Bay to host a Davis Cup tie, the first two of which is PHL against Japan then Chinese-Taipei in 2011. (FREEMAN)