For the second straight year, the Philippines fell prey to Thailand in the semifinals of the Davis Cup Asia/Oceania Zone Group II semifinals, Sunday at the indoor claycourts of the Philippine Columbian Association in Manila.
“We fell short, but I’m happy with our performance,” expressed Francis Alcantara.
Otico, who took the place of the injured Lim, suffered 6-4, 6-3 defeat to Palaphoom Kovapitukted in the fifth match.
Wishaya Trongcharoenchaikul bombed the 5-foot-8 Jeson Patrombon with 11 aces on the way to a 6-4, 1-6, 7-5 win, giving the top-seeded Thailand an insurmountable 3-1 lead in the best-of-five tie.
The sole win of the Filipinos came last Saturday, when Jeson Patrombon put the hosts on the board first with a clinical 6-2, 6-2 win over Jirat Navasirisomboon in the opening match.
However, Trongcharoenchaikul won both his matches, earlier beating rising star Joseph Brian Otico in the opening singles.
The tie-clinching win was Trongcharoenchaikul’s fourth straight over a Filipino rival, having beaten AJ Lim and Petrombon at the same stage last year.
The Thais also evened their head-to-head duel with the Filipinos to 4-4.
Twins Sanchai and Sonchat Ratiwatana started the day right for Thailand by downing Johnny Arcilla and Francis Casey Alcantara, 4-6, 7-6 (7-3), 6-1, in the doubles match that broke a 1-1 tie after splitting the first two singles matches last Saturday.
Otico, who took the place of the injured Lim, suffered 6-4, 6-3 defeat to Palaphoom Kovapitukted in the fifth match.
