Host Phl, Thailand begin Davis Cup battle this pm

CEBU, Philippines - Host Phl enjoys a hairline 3-2 lead over Thailand in their previous five meetings. The Pinoys swept the first three matches, but the Thais bounced back in their next two encounters, the last one in 1999.

Aside from defending their turf, the Pinoy netters face a tedious task of getting past Thailand to bolster their chances of regaining a place in Group I.

And that task lies at the hands of Ruben Gonzales and Johnny Arcilla being the first ones to fight for the flag and country against the visiting Thai forces this afternoon.

Gonzales will square off against the 6-foot-4 Davis Cup greenhorn Trongcharoenchaikul Wishaya in the first singles match at 3:3pm, while Arcilla, who has a Cebuano blood lineage, will collide with Danai Udomchoke in the second singles at 6 pm.

Although a bit pressured, Gonzales said he is physically and mentally ready for the crucial match.

“It’s always an honor that you're chosen to play first for the team. You can’t chose whether you’re going first or second, you just have to deal with it. And I’m really excited,” said Gonzales.

Arcilla, for his part, feels he is up for a tougher challenge. Despite he's currently the best player in the country, he will  go up against Thailand’s No.1 player Danai Udomchoke who is rated No.210 in the world.

“I’ve seen him (Udomchoke) play since I was only 14 years old, but but I haven’t played against him yet. I can say he’s good, but I just have to play my game and pray hard I’ll win,” said Arcilla.

Davis Cup Philippines Administrator Randy Villanueva finds the lineup of Phl and Thailand even, with  experience and youth being infused into both squads.

In a separate interview, Thailand skipper Tanakorn Srichaphan admitted the odds are against them not only of the expected partisan crowd but also because they are not used to playing in shell clay court.           

“In Kuwait, during the first round), we played on hard court. We were only able to practice on clay like two weeks,” said Tanakorn. “But in tennis, we’ll never really know what is going to happen in the game.”

The doubles event will be played on Saturday, with Treat Huey and Francis Casey Alcantara slugging it out with Nuttanon Kadchapanan and Pruchya Isarow, while the reverse singles will be on Sunday.

The winner of the Phl-Thailand duel will advance into the third and final round of Group II against either New Zealand or Pakistan this September. The winner in the third round moves up to Group I, while the loser will stay in Group II.

Philippines have regularly switched between Group I and II for the last seven years. Last year, Phl failed to break back into Group I after losing to Indonesia in the final round of Group II. In their opening tie of the 2013 season, they beat Syria, 3-2, inside two days.

Thailand has spent the last four years in Group II but came close to promotion in 2010 and 2011 when it reached the final round. They fell in the semifinal round last year so the Thais are surely looking to win this tie and have another chance at promotion. Thailand spent 2000-2009 in Group I. (FREEMAN)