Please pray that I will win.”
This is what Johnny Arcilla, the Philippines’ long-time top netter, asked of his fellow Cebuanos when he opens the country’s campaign against Syria in the Davis Cup Asia/Oceania Zone Group II which starts today until Sunday at the Plantation Bay Resort and Spa.
Arcilla, whose father is from Mabolo, draw the first singles match against Issam Haitham Taweel, who is ranked 926th in singles in the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP).
While Arcilla has no world rankings to boast of, he takes pride in having a homecourt advantage over Taweel, who was the last member of the Syrian team to arrive last Wednesday.
Arcilla has played in Plantation Bay’s shell-clay court having been part of the Davis Cup team that saw action here against Japan and Chinese Taipei.
Also having roots in Cebu and lording it over in national tournaments, Arcilla’s name is a byword in Cebuano tennis communities.
This will be the first time that the two will meet with Arcilla admitting that he has never seen Taweel play in a match.
PRESSURED
“I will do my best to win this first match so the Cebuanos would be proud of me,” Arcilla said.
Arcilla said that he is a bit pressured playing the first match for the first time since Davis Cup tournaments were held here but this is overruled by the team’s desire to finally win the tournament in Plantation Bay.
“Pressured kay 0-2 nata diri,” said Arcilla referring to their losses to Japan and Chinese Taipei here in 2011.
The Philippine team have won Davis Cup tournaments while held in other parts of the country but never, so far, in Cebu.
Arcilla said that he also wants to win the first match, considered as the tournament’s very important match, to ease pressure off teammate Ruben Gonzales, who will play Marc Abdelnour in the second singles.
The doubles match tomorrow will have Treat Conrad Huey and Vicente “Elbert” Anasta going up against the Syrian pair of Abdelnour and Majdi Salim.
The reverse singles matches will be held on Sunday with both teams allowed to change their lineup an hour before the match.
FREE TO THE PUBLIC
Unlike the previous Davis Cup tournaments here, this one versus Syria is free to the public.
Organizers, however, have decided to distribute tickets for crowd control. Each ticket is good for two persons and ticket holders will be prioritized in entering the resort and in seating arrangements although those who don’t have tickets will still be allowed to watch the games.
With the event made free to the public and the late match schedules, Philippine Tennis Association vice president Randy Villanueva is hoping this will fill up the bleachers and create a homecrowd cheering for the Philippine Davis Cup team.