Philippine top netters Elbert Anasta and Jeson Patrombon have been added to the pool for the selection of members for the Cebuana Lhuillier Philippine Davis Cup Team that will go up against New Zealand in the Davis Cup Asia/Oceania Zone Group 2 finals happening in September at the shell-clay court of the Plantation Bay Resort and Spa in Lapu-Lapu City.
Philippine Davis Cup administrator Randy Villanueva said Anasta and Patrombon have been added to the list that already includes Johnny Arcilla, Ruben Gonzales, Treat Conrad Huey and Francis “Casey” Alcantara, who manned the team which won against Thailand in the second round last April.
Alcantara, a native of Cagayan de Oro, said he is willing to represent the country again in the Davis Cup. He is on a scholarship program at the Pepperdine University in California, USA and played for the Cebuana Lhuillier Philippine Davis Cup Team last April.
Alcantara said he is back in the country for a vacation, so that means it won’t be a problem if he’d be tapped to represent the country again.
Villanueva said that it was a unanimous decision among the players to once again hold the Davis Cup back here in Plantation Bay for several reasons.
“First, they are on a roll here after winning against Syria and Thailand. Second, Treat and Ruben are comfortable with the shell-clay court here in Plantation. Si Johnny naman, favorite niya yong sa PCA but it is not like he is doing bad here either,” Villanueva said.
While the Philippines has the advantage of having won three of the five games it has played against New Zealand, the Kiwis still have something going on their side, especially after they blanked the Filipinos, 5-0, in their last encounter in 2011 while both were in Group 1.
The Pinoy netters, however, have homecourt advantage. The news of the retirement of one of New Zealand’s top Davis Cup players Dan King Turner will also be a huge boost for the Philippines.