Second round of Davis Cup set April 5 to 7

Lapu-Lapu City will be hosting the first-ever Tennis Festival Week from April 1 to 7 when both the Davis Cup and the 14th PHILTA Tru-Flex National Age-Group Tennis Championships will be held in the city.

Philippine Tennis Association (Philta) vice president Randy Villanueva confirmed yesterday that Plantation Bay Resort and Spa will host the second round of action of the Asia/Oceania Group II Tie between Philippines and Thailand from April 5 to 7.

Villanueva, during a press conference yesterday at the Mooon’s Cafe, said that he has talked with Philta president Edwin Olivarez, also a Paranaque representative, Philta secretary general Romeo Magat and other members of the Philta board about the holding of the Davis Cup at the Plantation Bay again.

Plantation Bay relations officer Johannah Marie Patalinjug, who represented the resort’s general manager Efren Belarmino during the presscon, reiterated the resort’s willingness to host the Davis Cup despite having just hosted the Philippines vs. Syria Tie last weekend.

Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Paz Radaza has also already expressed the city’s willingness to also host the event.

Because of Davis Cup’s return to Lapu-Lapu City, Villanueva said they have decided to also hold the Tru-Flex age-group tournament here from April 1 to 5 to coincide with the international event.

The Tru-Flex netfest is a Group I Philta-sanctioned event that awards 200 points to all category champions.

Villanueva said that having Thailand here is already a big event and it will be complemented by the Tru-Flex tournament, which will have participants coming from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.

The last time that Thailand and the Philippines met in Davis Cup was in 1999, wherein the Thais defeated the Filipinos, 4-1.

The two countries have met five times with the Philippines having won three of those meetings.

Villanueva, however, said that the Philippines will have a slight advantage over Thailand since they will be playing in a shell-clay court. The Thais are used to playing in a hardcourt.

The Davis Cup will once again be made free to the public.

John Pages, who was instrumental in bringing the Davis Cup here, said this is an opportunity for the Tru-Flex participants to be inspired by the Davis Cup and the Cebuana Lhuillier-Philippine Davis Cup team to also be inspired by the presence of the young players.

This will be the first time that the Tru-Flex will be held outside of Manila and not in a Tru-Flex court, according to Villanueva. It will be played in five venues in Lapu-Lapu.

Tru-Flex is a sports servicing corporation that makes tennis courts, a kind of hardcourt, said Villanueva.

Because of this, the Davis Cup will adapt the same play of schedule wherein matches will be played late in the afternoon and straight into the night. Those interested in seeing action in the Tru-Flex netfest cam register via the Philta.