Smashing start by RP Cuppers

The Philippines opened its campaign to regain a spot in Group II on an inspiring note as it whitewashed Singapore, 3-0, yesterday at the start of the Asia-Oceania Zone Group III Davis Cup competitions at the Rizal Memorial Tennis center.

RP No. 2 singles player Johnny Arcilla set the tone of the rout for the hosts as he fashioned out a 4-0, 4-2, 4-2 victory over Yuan-Xian "Jensen" Hui before veteran campaigner Adelo Abadia clinched the best-of-three tie with a 4-1, 5-3, 4-1 triumph over Tun-Yi Kho.

Rolando Ruel, Jr. and Joseph Victorino completed their rain-delayed doubles match by trouncing the Singaporean pair of Jun "Kevin" Ong and Li-Shen "Daryl" Tan, 5-3, 4-2, 4-1.

"I don’t usually look at the score, it’s the performance that matters," said RP squad non-playing team captain Joseph Lizardo, himself a veteran Davis Cupper. "I think my players did very well today."

The Philippines guns for a crossover semifinals berth today when it battles Bahrain, which split its singles matches with Sri Lanka before the rains delayed the start of their deciding doubles match.

Kazakhstan was the day’s other winner when it won its singles matches in Group B over Qatar. Saudi Arabia and Tajikistan split their first two matches in the other Group B tie.

Pavel Baranov defeated Nasser Ghanim Al Khulaffi, 5-4 (3), 4-1, 5-4 (2), and Alexey Kedryauk bested Sultan-Khalfan Al Alawin, 4-1, 4-0, 4-1, for Kazakhstan.

Saudi Arabia won its first singles match against Tajikistan through a 4-0, 4-2, 4-0 victory by Badar Al Megayel over Sergei Makashin before Tajikistan evened the tie through Mansur Yachyaev, who downed Abdullah Nur, 4-2 4-1, 5-3.

All the matches were played under the short set format (first to win four games with a two-game edge and tiebreak at 4-all) and used the experimental Dunlop Precision oversized balls.

A short opening ceremony ushered in the competition with Neal Fraser, International Tennis Federation (ITF) Davis Cup Committee head and Eiichi Kawatei, Asian Tennis Federation president, joining top Filipino sports officials in proclaiming the opening of the 2001 hostilities.

The top two teams from both groups will go into the crossover semifinals on Saturday (Group A topnotcher vs Group B second placer and vice-versa) with the two winners battling for the championship.

The two finalists, however, will get automatic promotion to Group II of the zonal competition next year. The seventh and eighth placers will be relegated to Group IV while the third to sixth placers will stay in Group III to be joined by the two winners from Group IV and two losers from Group II next year.