Arcilla, Abadia give RP edge over Kuwait

Advantage, Philippines.

Lacking in height and power but not in teamwork and coordination, Johnny Arcilla and Adelo Abadia beat Mohammad Al-Gahreeb and Hussain Al-Ashwak in four sets in their doubles match as the Philippines took a 2-1 lead over Kuwait in their Davis Cup Asia Oceania Zone playoff at the PCA indoor court in Paco yesterday.

The slow-starting Arcilla and Abadia overcame a first-set loss and a 2-5 deficit in the third set in posting a stirring 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-4), 6-1 victory over the brash Kuwaiti pair that enhanced the Philippines’ bid to stay in Group II competition of its Davis Cup zone. The host team need only to win one one of the reverse singles today to avoid being relegated to Group III next year. The singles will pit Arcilla against Al-Gahreeb and Abadia against Mosaad Al-Jazaaf.

"This doubles match win is the key. Now I expect to win this playoff tomorrow," said RP team coach Johnny Jose, himself a former Davis Cupper who was the last Filipino to win a singles gold medal in the Asian Games in 1962 in Jakarta.

"This is a sorry loss for them because they expected to win the doubles. They have the power but not the patience, so nakuha natin," Jose added.

Arcilla and Abadia played with so much patience as they frustrated the power-hitting Kuwaiti pair and about a hundred Kuwait-based Filipino contract workers shipped here by their bosses just to cheer for the Kuwait team.

Al Gahreeb, a member of the Kuwaiti Royal family, and Al-Ashwak were deeply frustrated and disappointed that they threw tantrums on the court several times to the delight of the hometown crowd.

At one point with the Kuwaitis two sets and three games down, Al-Gahreeb even hammered a powerful smash directed to Abadia.

The RP second-ranked player doubled up in pain as he was hit on the groin.

But Abadia recovered and the RP tandem continued their good showing, winning three of the next four games to clinch the win in only a little over an hour.

But there were scary moments for the Philippines, specifically in the first set which it lost at 4-6 and the third set where it fell behind by three games at 2-5.

However, Arcilla and Abadia refused to give up the fight and turned the tide on their side after twice holding their serves and twice breaking their opponents to move ahead at 6-5.

Alas, the Kuwaitis managed to force a tiebreak.

But Arcilla and Abadia kept their composure, never once blinking in an eyeball-to-eyeball confrontation in the tiebreak.

With the Kuwaitis losing their will, the Filipinos merely went through the motion of completing the demolition in the fourth set.