Pinoy Cuppers open Group 1 bid vs Japan

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippines faces a formidable foe and a hostile crowd as it opens its bid in the Asia-Oceania Zone Group I Davis Cup tie beginning today at the Namihaya Dome in Osaka, Japan.

And Cecil Mamiit summed it all up when he said “there’s no room for mistakes” as they slug it out with their Japanese rivals in the opening singles matches.

One slip could indeed spell a difference between victory and defeat and Mamiit vowed to come out strong against Go Saeda in their 1 p.m. (Manila time) encounter.

“We’re not taking any chances and we’re going to go all out and win. If we can beat them 3-0 we’ll do that,” said Mamiit, who also has some score to settle with Japan’s No. 2 player.

Treat Huey, a 25-year-old replacement to US-based Eric Taino last year, takes on Japan No. 1 Tatsuma Ito in the other singles duel.

Mamiit is actually on a Davis Cup roll, winning seven matches, including victories over Hong Kong, Pakistan and New Zealand in Group II last year.

The cool temperature also failed to dampen the spirits of the Filipino bets.

“We’ve played in this kind of condition,” said Mamiit, an Accel endorser whose Davis Cup campaign is supported by Philippine Sports Commission chair Harry Angping and Cebuana Lhuillier.

The Filipinos flew to Osaka as early as Monday to acclimatize to the chilly weather with team leader Randy Villanueva saying the team had already made some adjustments.

“The team is doing good,” he said in a statement.

Villanueva added that Japan might field Davis Cup veteran Takao Suzuki in the singles matches.

“That’s a big possibility considering this is his (Suzuki) favorite surface,” said Villanueva.

The Filipinos are seeking revenge after they were swept by the Japanese two years ago in Manila with Mamiit losing both his matches to Soeda and Suzuki.

However, Mamiit remains unfazed.

“We learned many things from that experience and we will not blow our second chance to get into Group I,” said Mamiit.

RP’s top junior player Francis Casey Alcantara and Johnny Arcilla are the other members of the team who are scheduled to play Toshihide Matsui and Suzuki Saturday although the team might stick it out with Mamiit and Huey for the duration of the tie.

The reverse singles is set on Sunday.

The winner will set up a second round meeting against the winner of the Australia-Chinese Taipei tie, currently being played in Melbourne, Australia.