Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — Treat Huey and Ruben Gonzales turned back Chinese-Taipei’s Jui-Chen Hung and Chieh-Fu Wang, 6-7, 6-2, 6-3, 6-4, in the doubles match to keep the Philippines alive in their Davis Cup tie on Saturday (July 16) at the Philippine Columbian Association in Manila.
Hung and Wang started out the stronger of the two teams, forcing the first set into a tie breaker which they duly finished off.
Unfortunately for them, they could not sustain their momentum for the rest of the match.
Booming serves from Gonzales and excellent all-around play from Huey kept the Philippines well ahead of their opposition for extended periods during the contest.
With the Filipinos poised to seal the match, 5-2 in the fourth set, the Chinese-Taipei pair mounted a spirited fight back to reduce the deficit to 5-4.
But their comeback turned out to be too little, too late, as the Philippines repelled the late rally and took the victory.
“It was a tough match,” admitted Huey. “Ruben and I stepped up our game a little more in the second and third set, and they weren’t able to keep their level as high as it was when they were playing the first set.”
The win gives the Philippines a lifeline in the competition, but have to overcome a 2-1 hole in the best-of-five series.
Despite the odds, team manager Jean Henri Lhuillier is still bullish about his team’s chances.
“I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s singles matches and I’m confident we can pull off this incredible comeback,” said Lhuillier. “Our boys are so eager to win and not put their months of preparation to waste.”
The Philippines and Chinese-Taipei will faceoff in Day Three of their Davis Cup tie on Sunday (July 17) at the Philippine Columbian Association.
Also read: Davis Cup: Chinese-Taipei sweeps the PH in Day One
