Source: Manila Bulletin
-- Treat Huey and Ruben Gonzales walloped brothers Aqeel and Jalil Khan, 6-1, 6-4, 6-2, Saturday as the Philippines captured the Asia Oceania Zone Davis Cup Group II semifinal tie against Pakistan at the Philippine Columbian Association (PCA) clay court in Paco, Manila.
Teaming up for the first time, Huey and Gonzales overpowered their rivals with sharp serves and volley drops as the Filipinos clinched the best-of-five tie at 3-0 and reduced today's reverse singles into no-bearing three-set matches.
"We're really happy with the results. Everybody played well in this tie and we hope to continue this in future ties," said Huey, the team's No. 1 player.
The Filipino Cuppers never dropped a set over the last three matches with 32-year-old Johnny Arcilla setting up the tone in the opening match via a 6-2, 6-2, 6-3 win over Aqeel Khan on Friday.
Huey, who joined the team in 2009, followed it up with a 6-1, 6-0, 6-3 triumph over Yasir Khan, the youngest of the Khan brothers.
It was the fifth tie win for the Filipinos over the last six meetings with the Pakistanis.
The last time was in 2009 also at the PCA with a 3-2 decision.
With today's matches reduced to a mere exhibition, non-playing team captain Roland Kraut said they willfield Francis Casey Alcantara instead of Huey in the first match against Aqeel Khan at 10 a.m. Arcilla collides with Yasir Khan at 1 p.m.
The Pakistan team might also change their lineup an hour before the first match.
Huey and Gonzales dictated the tempo of the match by holding their serve and breaking Pakistan's four times.
A forehand from Aqeel Khan that went straight to the net sealed the two-hour match in the Filipinos' favor.
The Filipinos will next collide with the winner between Southeast Asian foes Indonesia and Thailand in September.
Both squads entered Saturday's doubles match with an even 1-1 score.
Source: Gerry Carpio, philstar.com
-- It was the “Philippine championship” on foreign soil, and in the end 33-year-old Cecil Mamiit outlasted 24-year-old Treat Huey, 4-6, 6-2, 6-3, in a battle between two Davis Cuppers at the close of tennis competitions of the 25th Southeast Asian Games yesterday.
Playing before 2,000 empty seats at the outdoor tennis court of the National Sports Complex, Mamiit drew from his arsenal of ground strokes and crosscourt shots to hack out the three-set win over his younger teammate, who joined him in the Philippine Davis Cup team this year in its triumphant campaign against Hongkong, Pakistan and New Zealand this year.
Mamiit broke Huey in the seventh game to take the second set after dropping the first. Braving the noontime heat, Mamiit broke Huey again in the eighth game of the third set and wrapped it all up with a forehand volley.
Two Philippine mixed doubles pairs failed to make it an all-Filipino finale, both losing to Thai pairs in separate semifinal matches.
The tandem of Cecil Mamiit and Denise Dy bowed to Thamarine Thanasugarn and Sanchai Ratiwatana, 6-4, 6-2, while Huey and partner Riza Zalameda yielded to Wongeanchai and Sonchat Ratiwatana, 6-3, 3-6, 10-8, in the other semifinal.
The Filipinos settled for the silver while the partnership of Wontaeanchai-Ratiwatana prevailed over their Thai teammates, 6-2, 3-6, 10-8, to win the gold in all-Thai final.
The Thais also denied the Filipinos gold in both the men’s and women’s doubles.
Twins Sonchai and Sonchat Ratiwatana edged Huey and Mamiit, 6-2, 5-7, 10-8, in the men’s doubles final, while Tamarine and Wongteanchai tripped Dy and Zalameda, 7-5, 6-4, in the women’s side.
The tennis team wound up its campaign with 2-3-5 gold-silver-bronze medals, finishing second behind Thailand (4-2-3).
Source: gmanews.tv
-- Filipino tennis aces Cecil Mamiit and Treat Huey positioned themselves for more gold medals as they reach the men's doubles finals and forged an all-Filipino finale in the singles play of the 25th Southeast Asian Games in Vientiane, Laos.
Mamiit and Treat Huey set a collision course with the Thai twins of Sanchai and Sonchat Ratiwatana for the men’s doubles gold, an encore of their earlier battle for the men's team event gold.
The two Fil-Am bets slipped past another Thai pair in Danai Udomchoke and Kittiphong Wachiramanawong, 7-5, 7-6, in their semifinal duel at the tennis court of the National Sports Complex.
For their part, the Ratiwatana siblings made short work of Indonesia’s Nesa Artha and Christopher, 6-2, 6-4, in the other semis match to forge a highly-anticipated rematch with their Filipino nemesis.
Mamiit and Huey scored a dramatic 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 win over the Thai twins during the deciding doubles to bag the men’s team gold last Saturday in a match where the final set needed almost two hours to be completed.
“It’s a rematch between us and Thailand and we know they’re aching to get back at us," said team manager Randy Villanueva. “But we’re ready for them."
Sure gold in men's singles
The 23-year-old Huey also advanced into the gold medal match of the men’s singles by ousting Udomchoke, 7-5, 7-6, 8-6, before Mamiit made it an all-Filipino finals by beating Cambodia’s Tan Nysan, 6-1, 6-2.
Not as fortunate were lady netters Denise Dy and Riza Zalameda, who both settled for the bronze after losing their respective semifinal matches in the ladies singles.
Dy, silver medalist in the mixed doubles two years ago in Thailand, played through with a left ankle injury to bow out against Lavinia Tananta of Indonesia, 7-5, 6-4, while another Indon, Ayu Fani Damayanti, booted out Zalameda, 6-3, 6-2.
Still in the hunt for the gold are the Mamiit-Dy and Huey-Zalameda tandems in the mixed doubles and the Dy-Zalameda pair in the women’s doubles.
