MANILA, Philippines — The disparity in world ranking and height are glaring in this much-anticipated Davis Cup World Group II playoff tie with a powerhouse Greek side bannered by world No. 6 Stefanos Tsitsipas.
But host Philippines expressed readiness to take on the fancied Tsitsipas and his teammates, banking on the trademark Filipino fighting spirit and familiarity with the environs as hostilities kick off today at the clay-shell court of the Philippine Columbian Association.
Unranked AJ Lim, the country’s No. 2 player, gets first crack at Greece’s top netter Tsitsipas, who is coming off a runner-up finish to world No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, in the opening singles set 11 a.m.
Jeson Patrombon, the country’s No. 1 who stands at 1,421st in the world rankings, takes on Tsitsipas’ brother, Greek No. 2 Petros who’s 1,169th worldwide, in the second singles match that follows.
Standing side by the side with their first-day opponents during yesterday’s official draw, the inches given by 5-foot-7 Lim and 5-foot-8 Patrombom to 6-foot-4 Stefanos and 6-foot-1 Petros, respectively, are evident.
Ruben Gonzalez and Francis Casey Alcantara (1,671st) team up for Saturday’s doubles versus Markos Kalovelonis (705th) and Petros Tsitsipas. For Sunday’s reverse singles, it will be Patrombon’s turn to meet Stefanos while Lim faces Petros.
Philippine captain Chris Cuarto said the Filipinos hope to capitalize on the familiar grounds and humidity at the indoor venue.
“Not a lot of foreign countries are familiar with this kind of court, and at the same time, the humidity inside so we try to put that to our advantage,” said Cuarto.