Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — Chinese-Taipei got off to a dream start in their Davis Cup tie against the Philippines, after claiming both matches in Day One of the competition.
Chinese-Taipei’s Ti Chen handled the Philippines’ Ruben Gonzales with relative ease in the first singles match of the day, 6-2, 2-6, 6-2, 6-2.
After dropping the first set, Gonzales struck back in emphatic fashion but was unable to sustain this momentum for the rest of the match.
Francis Casey Alcantara fared a lot better against his Chinese-Taipei counterpart Liang-Chi Huang, but was forced to concede the match after an injury forced him to retire.
Alcantara had his opponent against the ropes after claiming taking the 2-1 lead headed into the fourth set.
But a combination of knee soreness and cramps to both of Alcantara’s legs proved to be his undoing in the match.
Liang-Chi comfortably took the fourth set, 6-1, before Alcantara was forced to retire.
With the team on the verge of elimination, Philippine Davis Cup coach Karl Santamaria said that his side simply have to keep it one day at a time to keep themselves in the tournament.
“We’ll take it one day at a time, we have to win tomorrow. That’s how simple it is,” said Santamaria. “That’s how simple it is. If we want to keep this tie alive, we have to win tomorrow.”
The Philippines’ survival in the tournament rests in the hands of doubles partners Treat Huey and Jeson Patrombon when they take on the duo of Jui-Chen Hung and Chen-Fu Wang on Saturday (July 16) at the Philippine Columbian Association.
