By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
The Philippine Tennis Association is doing everything to secure enough funds so it can send its national team players to international tournaments as part of their buildup for the upcoming Asian Games in Indonesia in August.
PH team coach Chris Cuarto said Philta president Antonio Cablitas plans to send players, particularly the current Davis Cup team, to tournaments around Asia to gain more experience following the Cuppers’ 4-1 loss to Thailand in the Asia Oceania Zone Group II second-round tie over the weekend.
“Our (Philta) president acknowledged naman what happened in our play against the Thais,” said Cuarto in Tuesday’s Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Forum at the Tapa King Restaurant in Farmers Market-Cubao.
“It was a tight match, I would say, but towards the end, it came down to experiences and exposures,” Cuarto added.
The Davis Cup tie defeat became an eye-opener for the Filipinos, who have the skills to go toe-to-toe with their counterparts but still lacked the toughness in the crunch.
“In the end, it’s the maturity and the level of competition that you play the whole year that makes them (Thais) better than us,” said Cuarto.
Only Patrombon managed to eke out a victory for Team Philippines with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Jirat Navasirimboon during the opening match.
With the loss, the team remained in Group II next year.
