Pinoy netters outlast foes in 4-hour doubles

IRIGA CITY, Camarines Sur, Philippines  – The Philippines’ ran into a tougher Pacific Oceania as Fil-Am Ruben Gonzales and Johnny Arcilla turned back a gritty pair of Cyril Jacobe and Daniel Llarenas in a gruelling, nerve-wracking 6-7 (3), 7-5, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (4) victory that sealed their Asia Oceania Zone Group II tie at the University of St. Anthony Forum here late last night.

With non-playing team captain Cecil Mamiit opting to go without Treat Huey, now ranked 47th in the world doubles rankings, Gonzales and Arcilla struggled at some point but pulled through nonetheless as they survived a first set loss and a total of three tiebreakers in a match that lasted exactly four hours.

The win thus rendered non-bearing today’s reverse singles pitting Jeson Patrombon against Michael Leong and Huey versus Jacobe.

“It’s a good feeling winning it in front of our countrymen,” said Arcilla, the country’s former No. 1 player, in Filipino.

The Filipinos got off to a rousing start, sweeping the first singles matches following wins by Patrombon over Jacobe, 6-3, 6-2, 7-6 (4) and Huey over Leong, 6-0, 6-3, 6-2, Friday.

This is the second time Llarenas and Jacobe are partnering after teaming up in a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 victory over Ashkan Shokoofi and Seyed Akbar Taheri Rahaghi in Pacific Oceania’s 4-1 win over Iran in their Group II relegation playoff in Guam last year.

They made the Filipinos work harder.

The match went to its second tiebreak after the two teams held serve but the Filipinos came through when needed with Gonzales bombing away a booming service winner to take the tibreaker, the third set and a two sets-to-one advantage.

With both teams holding their first five serves, the Filipinos broke the visiting team to go 6-5 up before Arcilla held serve to take the second set and knot the count at 1-all.

The Filipinos opened up the match by breaking their foes right on the first game and then Gonzales holding his serve to go 2-0 up that more than looked like it will go the way it went in the first two singles matches that were both lopsided.

But the host country was wrong as Llarenas held serve and Pacific Oceania broke the former in the fourth game to knot the count at 2-all. 

After holding serve from there to force a tiebreaker, Jacobe and Llarenas came out dominating it to seize the first set and a 1-0 set advantage.

Davis Cup notes: Iriga City held its annual Tinagba Festival that started with a float parade, some street dancing and capped by a fireworks display all over this small, quiet but beautiful city...Some celebrities who attended the parade were Derek Ramsay, Boy Abunda, Gladys Reyes and Xian Lim among others.