RP battles Kiwis in Davis Cup

It won’t be easy for the Philippines to beat New Zealand on hostile territory but top singles player Cecil Mamiit has promised a fight to the finish in the Davis Cup Asia/Oceania Group II semifinals on April 6-8.

Mamiit and doubles partner Eric Taino arrived in Auckland from Los Angeles Sunday morning. Players P. J. Tierro and Johnny Arcilla and national coach Martin Misa flew in from Manila.

New Zealand reached the Davis Cup World Group semifinals in 1982 and played in the elite class for eight years. The Philippines came closest to advancing into the World Group in 1991 but lost in the playoffs. The last time the Philippines played in Group I was in 1995.

A win over the Kiwis will catapult the Philippines into the Asia/Oceania Group II finals against the survivor of the Kuwait-Indonesia tie. Kuwait hosts Indonesia for a ticket to the finals on April 6-8. The winner of the Asia/Oceania Group II finals automatically moves up to Group I.

The highest-ranked New Zealand player is world No. 495 Daniel King-Turner, 22. The others in the squad are Adam Thompson, 24, lefthanded Simon Rea, 24, and ambidextrous London-born Jose Statham, 20.

In 2004, New Zealand lost a 3-2 decision to Pakistan in a Davis Cup tie. Rea is the only holdover from that team despite losing a 7-6, 2-6, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 heartbreaker to Aqeel Khan in the Pakistan series. For the Philippines, the bright note is it beat Pakistan, 4-1, last February and Mamiit crushed Rea’s tormentor Khan, 6-1, 6-3, 6-2.

Mamiit admitted New Zealand’s homecourt advantage is a big factor but it’s a reality the team must face and overcome.

"We have a very good chance of winning," said Mamiit. "The trouble side of the matchup is that they have homecourt advantage. So they have the crowd. They also chose the surface of synthetic grass which we will have to adapt to. There is no guarantee but we’re determined to make a good showing. We’re not familiar with the New Zealand players but we’ve asked other players around to get some tips on how to beat them."

Mamiit said beating New Zealand will bring the Philippines back in the elite level of the Asia/Oceania region.

"If we win over New Zealand, we’ll be competing in the finals against the winner of Kuwait versus Indonesia," continued Mamiit. "If we win that round, we will directly go to compete next year in Group I where the Asian powerhouses play."

Mamiit said he’s looking forward to play for the Philippines in the Bangkok Southeast Asian Games late this year.

"It will be interesting and I’m pretty sure Thailand will be looking for some sort of revenge against us," said Mamiit.

"I expect a hostile setting but nothing too crazy. We are very good friends off the court with the Thai players. I’m not sure if Paradorn (Srichaphan) will be playing. We won’t know until a few months before the event so it’s hard to speculate."

Mamiit said he recently rehired trainer Ken Matsuda on a full-time basis.

"Eric and I have been really training hard for the Philippine events," he said. "I’ve been working with Ken who has worked with players like Mike Chang, Jim Courier, Maria Sharapova and Paradorn. My goal is to start developing a ranking that will enable me to represent the Philippines in the Olympics. It’s going to be a long summer but hopefully, I can make a bit of a run or show my skills in some of the grand slams."