JUNIOR TENNISTERS. Philippine Junior Davis Cup players (L-R) Jose Antonio Tria, Matthew Anton Garcia and Michael Francis Eala II arrived at the Kuching International Airport in Malaysia on Friday (April 6, 2018). (Photo courtesy of Rizza Maniego-Eala)
MANILA -- The Philippines will kick off its campaign in the Junior Davis Cup (JDC) Asia/Oceania Final Qualifying tournament against Singapore at the Sarawak Lawn Tennis Association (SLTA) in Kuching, Malaysia on Monday.
The 16 participating teams were divided into four groups.
The Philippines, Singapore, Japan and Pacific Oceania are in Group A; China, Indonesia, Uzbekistan and Chinese Taipei are in Group B; South Korea, Thailand, Pakistan and India are in Group C; and Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong and Kazakhstan are in Group D.
The four teams in each group will play round-robin with the top two advancing to the next round.
The Under-16 team of Michael Francis Eala II, Jose Antonio Tria and Matthew Anton Garcia has been practicing at the tournament venue since arriving on Friday.
Patrick John Tierro, who steered the Under-14 girls team to a fifth-place finish in the World Juniors Tennis Asia/Oceania Final Qualifying tournament in Thailand, arrived in Kuching on Sunday to coach the team.
The 15-year-old Eala is currently No. 473 in the world juniors rankings. This year, he has played in three tournaments in China and one each in Hong Kong and Cambodia.
Tria, 15, began competing in the International Tennis Federation (ITF) Juniors circuit in 2016. He has played in Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands, Brunei, Singapore and Cambodia and is now No. 1292 in the world juniors rankings.
Garcia, who is ranked No. 1465, has played in 17 tournaments since 2016. This year, he has competed in two tournaments in Cambodia and one in Hong Kong.
The SLTA is hosting the Junior Davis Cup Asia/Oceania Final Qualifying tournament for the sixth time.
SLTA president, Dato Patrick Liew, said the tournament will be interesting because the Top 3 players from each country will be participating.
“It has always been our pleasure to host this event because it is more easy to manage the players and officials because this is a inter-team competition. The players and officials have to display a high level of discipline and sportsmanship as they are representing their respective countries,” Liew was quoted as saying in an article which appeared in the Borneo Post website on April 7.
The JDC Asia/Oceania Final Qualifying tournament will select the teams which will advance to the Junior Davis Finals in Budapest, Hungary in September. (PNA)
