Mendoza back in jr. Davis Cup

MANILA, Philippines - After the Philippines suffered a humbling demotion to the pre-qualifying stage last year, Jurence Mendoza is back to lead a three-man squad in the Asia-Oceania group of the junior Davis Cup in Sri Lanka on Feb. 21-25.

Coach Roland Kraut said yesterday the Philippines is determined to break out of the 12-team pre-qualifying bracket and return to the 16-team qualifying stage in India in April. The top three finishers in the pre-qualifying tournament will advance to the main draw where the top four placers earn tickets to the World Group in September.

The Philippines finished 15th of 16 in the qualifying competition in Anquing, China, last year and dropped to the pre-qualifying level with No. 14 Sri Lanka and No. 16 Syria. Mendoza was the country’s bright light in the tournament with singles wins over Malaysia’s Colin Wong, 6-3, 6-2, Singapore’s Rohan Kamdar, 6-4, 6-3, and Sri Lanka’s Sharma Dissanakaye, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2. But his effort wasn’t enough to turn it around for the Philippines as the team bowed to Chinese-Taipei, Korea, Singapore and Sri Lanka while beating only Malaysia.

Kraut, however, has high hopes for the Philippines to bounce back. Mendoza, 14, was joined by Betto Orendain and Kyle Parpan last year. His teammates now are Jacob Lagman, 15, and Kyle Joseph, 14.

Last December, Mendoza beat Thailand’s Nuttanon Kadchapanan, 7-5, 6-2, to claim the Week 2 Phinma international junior tennis championship at the Rizal Memorial courts. Then, he produced solid results in a pair of International Tennis Federation (ITF) 18-and-under tournaments in Hong Kong and Guangzhou.

In Hong Kong, Mendoza thrashed Thailand’s Congsup Congcar, 6-0, 6-1, but lost to hometowner Kwun Ho James Kong, ranked No. 267 in the world, 6-4, 6-3. In doubles play, Mendoza paired with Hong Kong’s Cho Hyun Duk to beat Hong Kong’s Chak Pong Lam and Robin Hau Nguy, 6-1, 6-2, and Tzu Han Lo and Chung Sheng Yu, 6-3, 3-6, 10-4, then lost to China’s Guan Yu Cao and Peng Xiang Gung, 6-3, 6-7, 10-8, in the semifinals.

In Guangzhou, the left-handed Mendoza saved four match points at 5-6 in the third set to outlast China’s You Xu Shen, 3-6, 7-6, 7-6, in his first appearance. Then, he whipped China’s Yuwei Meng, 6-3, 6-2. Mendoza exited in the round of 16, losing to China’s Jiaya Li, 6-1, 6-3. In doubles, Mendoza and Indonesia’s Mark Nathan Ginting were dumped by China’s Jing Tian and Xiaolei Yang, 7-5, 6-3.

“Overall, Jurence’s performance in Hong Kong and Guangzhou was impressive, being one of the youngest players in both tournaments,” said Kraut. “The players who beat Jurence had a good run, reaching at least the semifinals. After only five tournaments, Jurence gained a ranking of No. 620, which is not bad. Jurence will play in the junior Davis Cup this month. Next month, he will join ITF tournaments in Malaysia, Brunei and Manila.”

Mendoza, an Olongapo National High School student, is sponsored by businessman Oscar Hilado and coached by Martin Misa.

Lagman also competed in Hong Kong and Guangzhou, compiling a 1-2 record in singles and doubles. He lost to Japan’s Ryota Tanuma, 6-3, 6-1, and Japan’s Keito Iijima, 6-1, 7-5, and drubbed China’s Yanxiang Huang, 6-4, 6-3.

Kraut said the Philippines made it to the World Group of the junior Davis Cup over seven years ago with Kyle Dandan, Ralph Barte and Pablo Olivarez and hasn’t since been back.

For the junior Federation Cup, Kraut said the qualifying tournament is set on May 1-6 in India. Coach Karl Santamaria will choose the three girls to represent the country. Shoo-ins are Marian Capadocia, 15, and Maika Tanpoco, 15.

Capadocia and Tanpoco competed in the girls bracket of the ITF tournament where Mendoza and Lagman played last month. Capadocia beat Hong Kong’s Man Ying Ng, 6-1, 6-3, and lost to China’s Yuxuan Zhang, 6-4, 6-1. Tanpoco edged Thailand’s Wanssara Prajoubphansri, 5-7, 6-3, 6-2, and bowed to Hong Kong’s Katherine Ip, 6-2, 6-1. In Guangzhou, Tanpoco eliminated China’s Yukun Zhang, 6-4, 6-4, and lost to China’s Qiuyu Ye, 6-2, 6-1.