The Philippine Men’s National Tennis Team salvaged its Davis Cup campaign by avoiding relegation, edging host Malaysia to retain its place in the Asia/Oceania Group III on Saturday at the National Tennis Centre in Kuala Lumpur.
Francis Casey Alcantara and Ruben Gonzales remained unbeaten throughout the week and once again delivered the clinching point for the Philippines.
After a rain delay, the veteran doubles pair defeated Darrshan Suresh Kumar and Hao Sheng Koay, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3.
Malaysia struck first in the tie as Suresh Kumar defeated Eric Olivarez Jr. in the opening singles, 7-6 (5), 6-3.
With the Philippines facing the threat of relegation to Group IV, AJ Lim came through in the clutch, earning his first victory of the competition.
Lim stayed in control from start to finish, cruising to a 6-1, 6-1 win over Malaysia’s top player, Imran Daniel Abdul Hazli, to level the tie at 1-1.
It was a roller-coaster campaign for the Joseph Lizardo-coached squad, which entered the tournament aiming for promotion to Group II.
The last time the Philippines competed in Group II was in 2020, when it fell to Stefanos Tsitsipas-led Greece, 1-4.
The Philippines opened its campaign on Wednesday with a 1-2 loss to Jordan. Olivarez dropped the first singles match, while Lim looked poised to even the tie after dominating the second set. However, he was forced to retire after the opening game of the deciding third set.
The team bounced back on Thursday as Olivarez stunned a higher-ranked opponent to give the Philippines an early lead, which it converted into a 2-1 victory over top-seeded Uzbekistan, the highest-ranked team in the group.
The Philippines then needed another win on Friday to secure either automatic promotion or a playoff berth for the final spot in Group II.
Olivarez squandered a one-set advantage, along with leads of 5-3 in the second set and 3-0 in the third, before losing the opening singles match.
Lim was unable to keep the Philippines alive, falling to Singapore’s top player as the outcome of the doubles match became inconsequential.
