Taiwan to unleash ace in Davis Cup?

MANILA, Philippines - It’s still not certain if Chinese-Taipei will play world No. 78 Lu Yen-hsun against the Philippines in the Asia-Oceania Group I Davis Cup tie at the Yang Ming Tennis Center in Kaohsiung on July 9-11 but veteran Cecil Mamiit isn’t losing sleep one way or the other.

“Of course, Lu is their star player who’s ranked high at the moment,” said Mamiit, recently named the Philippines’ playing captain. “But they still have other ranked players we need to worry about. We’ll deal with it when the draw comes out and see what we need to do. We’re just going to concentrate on what we have to do with a winning spirit.”

Mamiit, Treat Huey, Johnny Arcilla and rookie Ruben Gonzales will represent the country in the tie where the loser will drop to a relegation duel with either Uzbekistan or Korea. Philippine Tennis Association (Philta) vice president Randy Villanueva said Jeson Patrombon may be added to the lineup as an alternate.

Villanueva said with or without Lu, Chinese-Taipei is expected to go all out to beat the Philippines after losing in four straight head-to-head ties since 1976. Last March, the Philippines opened its Group I campaign on a sour note, losing to Japan on a 5-0 shutout. Chinese-Taipei also got off to a poor start and was blanked by Australia.

“Against Australia, they didn’t field their best team and Lu didn’t play,” said Villanueva. “The rumor is the Chinese-Taipei association is not in good terms with him.”

Lu, 26, has beaten Mamiit twice in singles play, 6-1, 6-4 and 6-3, 6-7, 7-5. But they haven’t faced off in five years. Lu, once ranked as high as No. 55 by the ATP, is in a class of his own in Asia. At the Wimbledon last year, he was in the main draw and lost to Roger Federer, 7-5, 6-3, 6-2.

Lu made his presence felt at the 2006 Asian Games in Doha where he led Chinese-Taipei to bronze medals in mixed doubles with Hsieh Su-wei and the men’s team event with Chen Ti, Wang Yeu-tzuo and Chu Huan-yi. Mamiit also collected a pair of bronzes in men’s singles and doubles with Eric Taino.

Chu, world No. 514, was on the Chinese-Taipei squad that lost to Australia. His teammates were world No. 310 Tsung Hua-yang, world No. 819 Hsin Han-lee and unranked Liang Chi-huang. Mamiit is ranked No. 467, Huey No. 741 and Arcilla No. 1307.

What makes Lu a formidable opponent is his remarkable success in international competitions. He made it to the third round of the Australian Open last year and has played in three French Opens. In a pro career that started in 2001, Lu has victimized the likes of Andy Murray, Robin Soderling, Guillermo Coria, Jurgen Melzer, David Nalbandian and Lleyton Hewitt. One of his biggest wins was a 6-4, 5-7, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 thriller over Argentina’s Nalbandian in the Australian Open last year.

Mamiit, 33, said his new role as playing coach is a challenge and he hopes to live up to expectations.

“I look at being the captain as an opportunity,” said the three-time Southeast Asian Games singles gold medalist. “I’d like to see what happens and what I can do to lead our team with the right attitude and the right frame of mind. I would definitely love for some of the former Davis Cup icons to continue their legacy as captains. It shows the honor that the title brings and their presence could really make a difference in inspiring young players to make the Davis Cup an important part of their lives as it was a great experience for past players. I love the pressure of being captain because I love challenges in life so why not? I can’t say that I never tried.”

As for the rookie Gonzales, Mamiit said he’s looking forward to joining him on the squad. “I’ll bond with Ruben more, now that he’s with us,” said Mamiit. “He seems excited to be on the team. He’s trying to make his mark on the international tour. We’ll see what he can provide for the team.”

Mamiit said Huey will be a major contributor in the effort to stay in Group I.

“Treat’s a great asset and very talented,” Mamiit went on. “He does what he can and is young (24). I really can’t compare him with Eric (Taino) as far as accomplishments because Eric has done so much. Treat has potential. I would love to see how far he can go in singles. It’s been a lot of fun with Treat and I was impressed with him from the start. It would have been really cool if Eric and Treat were on the team. They have the exact same attitude about their tennis and that’s why I think I get on well with both and have had success representing the Philippines.”

Mamiit said preparing for Chinese-Taipei is keeping the players busy. “Treat and I are traveling around playing Challenger tournaments,” he said. “Ruben is playing Futures in Asia. And Johnny is playing in local tournaments. We’re all trying to get as many opportunities to play matches and maintain our fitness.”

The team will gather in Manila before heading to Kaohsiung a week before the competitions.