|
EXPECT
Kazakhstan to play like Uzbekistan.
Thus
said RP nonplaying team captain Manny Tecson after
Kazakhstan lost to Chinese Taipei, 3-2, over the weekend
in its own Davis Cup Asia/Oceania Group I relegation tie
to set up a duel with the
Philippines.
“Their
style is like the Uzbeks. They like a fast surface,”
said Tecson.
That is
why he expects the Kazakhs to hold the event on a fast
surface when they meet the Filipinos in September in
their home turf.
“Hopefully, we could win but it is going to be tough
because it will not be played here this time,” said
Tecson.
Still,
Tecson is beaming with optimism because of the result of
the previous tie against
Uzbekistan
where the Filipinos lost, 3-2, which was better from a
5-0 loss to Japan in the first-round tie.
“For the
three weeks we have prepared, a lot of positives came
out. The team grew and we won in a Group I tie against
Uzbekistan. We need this kind of experience if we want
to improve,” he added.
Filipino-American Cecil Mamiit will compete in more
world-class tournaments to familiarize himself with
Group I opponents.
Tecson
also said that Patrick John Tierro and Johnny Arcilla
will also be competing overseas, most probably in an
International Tennis Federation (ITF) Futures tournament
which the country is hosting in September through tennis
patron Jean Henri Lhuillier.
Eric
Taino is doubtful for the next tie because of an offer
to teach in a tennis club in Los Angeles.
The
Kazakhs lead their head-to-head matchup against the
Filipinos, 2-1, but the Filipinos won their last tie in
2003—a Group II first-round playoff at the Philippine
Columbian Association courts. |
