Huey seals Phl Davis Cuppers’ 3-1 win

MANILA, Philippines - Fil-Am Treat Conrad Huey showed he’s not just a doubles specialist as he came back from a first set defeat and a big deficit in the second set to eke out a 2-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 victory over Harshana Godamanna that sealed the Philippines’ 3-1 victory over Sri Lanka in their Asia-Oceania Group II Davis Cup tie in Colombo, Sri Lanka yesterday.

Huey, the No. 21 highest ranked doubles player in the world, overhauled a first set loss and 1-4 disadvantage in the second set by completely turning things around in seizing the last three sets and sealing the match win.

And Huey wasn’t even supposed to play if fellow Fil-Am Ruben Gonzales hadn’t injured his knee in their lopsided 6-1, 6-0, 6-1 rout of Godamanna and Rajeev Rajapakse in the doubles the day before.

The non-bearing fifth match wasn’t played anymore.

“Treat showed that he’s always ready to do everything to help the team win,” said Randy Villanueva, the Phl Davis Cup team administrator.

The win was the 28-year-old Huey’s eighth in singles against as many losses while dealing Godamanna, who is living and campaigning in the US, fell to 33-12 (win-loss).

The win arranged the Filipinos duel against the winner between the Vietnam-Pakistan tie, which is set from Feb. 14 to 16, in the second round from April 4 to 6.

Godamanna edged PJ Tierro in the first opening singles Friday, 6-3, 6-7 (8), 4-6, 6-2, 6-3, before Gonzales waylaid Dineshkanthan Thangarajah, 6-3, 6-3, 6-0.