The Philippine Women’s Tennis Team fell short of another dramatic comeback and missed a golden opportunity for promotion in the Billie Jean King Cup.
Facing Group A top seed Mongolia in the crossover semifinals on Saturday at the National Tennis Centre in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the Philippines dropped both singles matches — rendering the doubles match moot.
With the defeat, the team bowed out of contention for a spot in the Asia/Oceania Group II finals and lost its chance at one of two coveted promotion slots to Group I.
The opening singles match proved crucial.
Tennielle Madis, the country’s top junior and ranked No. 201 in the world, came in as the heavy favorite against Martaa Chogsomjav, ranked just No. 759 in the junior rankings.
Madis looked in control early, taking the first set 6-4. But as had happened in her earlier matches against Indonesia and Uzbekistan, the 17-year-old lost momentum.
Chogsomjav, 18, blanked her in the second set, 6-0, and controlled the decider to seal a 6-4 victory.
The match lasted two hours and 30 minutes, giving Mongolia a 1-0 lead in the tie.
That put the Philippines in a must-win situation heading into the second singles match, where Alexa Milliam faced an even tougher challenge.
Milliam, a 20-year-old incoming sophomore at NCAA Division II school University of West Alabama, took on 19-year-old Maralgoo Chogsomjav, an incoming junior at Kansas State University, a Division I program.
Maralgoo, a standout in the U.S. collegiate circuit — named to the Big 12 All-Freshman Team in 2024 and the Big 12 Second Team in 2025 — showcased her experience and poise.
She cruised past Milliam in just an hour and nine minutes, 6-4, 6-1, to clinch the tie for Mongolia.
It was a heartbreaking end for the Denise Dy-coached Philippine squad, which had bounced back from an opening-day loss to Indonesia with dramatic comeback wins over Uzbekistan and Pacific Oceania, followed by a dominant sweep of Iran to reach the semifinals.
Mongolia now advances to the final on Sunday against Group B top seed Indonesia, which also posted a 2-0 victory in its crossover semifinal against host nation Malaysia.
