Philippines overwhelms RI in Davis Cup

Philippines overwhelms RI in Davis Cup

JAKARTA (JP): The Philippines won a trip to the finals in the
Davis Cup Group II Asia Oceania zone after eliminating host
Indonesia 4-1 on Sunday.

In the first match at Senayan indoor tennis stadium on Sunday,
veteran Philippines player Joseph Lizardo, 30, expended all of
his energy to overcome Indonesian player Febi Widhiyanto, 19, in
a three-hour match which ended 4-6, 6-4, 6-2, 2-6, 6-2.

Bryan Juinio completed the Philippines' victory by defeating
Suwandi 6-4, 7-6 (12-10).

"We are very happy because after 13 years we finally beat
Indonesia before its home crowd," said the chairman of the
Philippines Tennis Association, Salvador Andrada, after
witnessing Lizardo's victory.

The chairman of the Indonesian Tennis Association, Tanri
Abeng, failed to hide his disappointment, saying the Indonesian
players needed more tournament experience.

"They fought hard and they lost in very tight matches. It's a
challenge for Pelti to send them abroad for international
tournaments," he said.

The nonplaying captain of the Indonesian squad, Tintus Arianto
Wibowo, apologized to local tennis fans for the loss.

In the do-or-die match, Lizardo played nervously in the first
set and the Indonesian took the set 6-4. But Lizardo fought back
to win the second and third sets 6-4 and 6-2.

With about 5,000 spectators throwing their weight behind him,
Febi broke Lizardo's serves twice to take a 4-0 in the fourth
set. The Filipino fought back to trail 5-2, but Febi put away the
set 6-2.

In the deciding set, Lizardo took a 5-0 lead, relying on his
experience in Davis Cup matches. However, Febi refused to give in
and won the next two games to trail 5-2 before his wide forehand
gave the victory to Lizardo and the Philippines.

Lizardo jumped into the air, pumping his right fist to
celebrate the victory. The Philippine players hugged each other
to show their joy at earning a place in the finals of the zone
competition.

The Philippines led Indonesia 3-1 in their semifinal match
after winning both singles matches on Friday. Lizardo beat
Suwandi while Juinio defeated Febi on the first day of play.

Edy Kusdaryanto and Hendri Susilo Pramono narrowed the
Philippines' lead by winning the doubles match on Saturday,
crushing Michael Misa and Adelo Abadia.

Lizardo said: "I played better on the first day against
Suwandi. Febi played really well today. In the fourth set I made
a lot of mistakes and I started to concentrate on the fifth set.
I tried to stay relaxed and to focus. I just did what I had to
do. I've played on the Davis Cup team for four times and this is
the first time I won against the Indonesians."

Febi said: "I think he (Lizardo) started to concentrate on the
fifth set while I was finishing the fourth. He played more
aggressively and I tried to force the rallies, but he managed to
break my serve to take a 2-0 lead. It made me nervous."

Coach Deddy Prasetyo blamed Febi's lack of experience for the
loss.

"Febi was hesitant in his attack on critical points. That
killer instinct can only be achieved by playing in many
tournaments," he said, adding that Indonesian players have been
absent from tournaments for 18 months due to a lack of sponsors.

In the second match, Suwandi fell to Juinio in the first set
after the 23-year-old Filipino broke Suwandi's serve in the 10th
game to take the set 6-4.

The second set went to a tiebreaker. Juinio, relying on his
hard serve, served an ace to take an 11-10 lead in the tiebreaker
before hitting a forehand winner to take the match.

"Bryan played really good and he kept pressuring me. I
couldn't overcome the pressure and fight back with my slices,"
Suwandi said.

Indonesia still holds a 4-1 lead against the Philippines in
Davis Cup head-to-head matches since 1986. In the last meeting in
Manila two years ago, Indonesia fell behind 0-2 on the first day
of play but fought back on the second and third days to win 3-2.

The Philippines will meet the winner of the Iran-Thailand
semifinal in September for a place in Group I. Iran and Thailand
will meet in Tehran from April 16 to April 18. (yan)