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THE Philippines will try to retain its spot in Group 1 as it faces
Uzbekistan in a critical Davis Cup Asia Oceania Asia relegation
playoff on April 11 to 13 at the Philippine Columbian Association.
Coach Manny Tecson believes the team composed of
Cecil Mamiit, Eric Taino, Patrick John Tierro and John Arcilla is up
to the task.
“The boys are ready to go,” he said. “They
are working hard and the chemistry in the team is good.”
The Filipinos are hoping to bounce back from a
disappointing 0-5 loss to Japan in the opening round two months ago.
The losing team will play either Chinese-Taipei
or Kazakhstan.
The netters expressed their excitement to play
before Filipino fans in their home turf and considered this an
advantage.
Mamiit, the most celebrated player in the team,
said his teammates would also play a crucial role in their campaign.
“It’s not all about me. It’s about the
teamwork atmosphere. The team is always trying to learn from each
other,” he said.
Mamiit recently reached the semifinals of the
Thailand F3 Futures 2008 in Nonthaburi.
Asia’s No. 4 and world’s No. 156 Denis
Istomin will lead the Uzbeks. He will be joined in the team by
Farrukh Dustov, Sarvar Ikramov, Murad Inoyatov and Vaja Uzakov.
-- Krista Angela Montealegre
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