CAGAYAN de Oro’s Francis Casey Alcantara helped the Cebuana Lhuillier-Philippine Davis Cup team’s comeback try to group 1 next year.
This, after Alcantara and countryman Jeson Petrombon on Sunday stamped their class in the insignificant reverse singles to complete the Filipinos’ 5-0 sweep of Kuwait in their Asia-Oceania tie at Valle Verde Country Club in Manila.
On Saturday night, Treat Huey and Alcantara overpowered the Kuwaiti duo of Abdulrahman Alawadhi and Abdulhamid Mubarak, 6-1, 6-1, 6-2 as Cebuana Lhuillier-Philippines sealed their Davis Cup first-round tie at same venue.
“Lipay kaayo `mi sa Nazareth Lawn Tennis Club kay naka-training pud siya (Alcantara) dire prior to the country’s Davis Cup campaign. Siya ang ultimate idol sa mga bata in CDO tennis,” said the Philippine Tennis Academy’s local conditioning coach Marlon `Pinggoy’ Castro.
Already, Alcantara and Huey’s one-sided victory over the Kuwaiti pair assured the Filipinos a spot in the second round of the Davis Cup Asia-Oceania Group II competition. And the home bets’ conquest in the singles events were like an overkill.
Alcantara crushed Ali Ghareeb, 6-2, 6-1, while the Iligan City native Petrombon nipped Abdulhamin Mubarak, 7-6 (7-5), 6-3 for the Philippines’ third-straight win over the visiting netters from Kuwait.
“Preparado kondisyon kaayo si Niño (Alcantara) and so his teammates. Panahon na gayud nga mo-abante kita sa Davis Cup Group 1,” said ITF-licensed referee Mario Inguito Craiz, who is in charge in the Cebuana Lhuillier’s grassroots tennis development for Mindanao.
The Philippine squad, supported by Cebuana Lhuillier, Philippine Sports Commission, and Yonex, will continue their quest for a spot in Group I against either Chinese Taipei or Malaysia on July 15-17. (LLS)