Mamiit named Davis Cup team captain

Filipino-American Cecil Mamiit, the heart and soul of the Philippine Davis Cup team, has been named captain of the squad as the Philippine Tennis Association (Philta) tries a new tack when the Filipinos go up against Taiwan in the Asia Oceania Zone Group I tie on July 9 to 11 in Kaoshiung.

Mamiit will replace non-playing team captain Chris Cuarto who has held the post since 2007.

“We want to make changes to improve the team”s chances in our next tie,” said Philta vice president and RP Davis Cup administrator Randy Villanueva.

Villanueva said Mamiit can handle his duties well since the Los Angeles-based player has been with the squad for the past four years.

As team captain, Mamiit will have the task of determining who among his fellow players will play singles and doubles. He will also discuss strategy and be on top of the team’s training regimen.

The Filipinos will be clashing against the Taiwanese for the ninth time in the history of the Davis Cup. A win will put the Philippines in Group I.

The RP squad was ousted from that group when it lost to Japan, 5-0, in Osaka last March.

If the RP squad falters, the Philippines will be relegated to a second round playoff against the loser in the South Korea-Uzbekistan tie set on September 17 to 19.

Besides the 33-year-old Mamiit, also in the squad are Treat Huey, Johnny Arcilla and Ruben Gonzales. Mamiit, Huey and Gonzales are all Fil-Americans while Arcilla is the team’s only homegrown talent.

Gonzales, whose parents are now American citizens, was the surprise member of the squad, having been named to the team only a few days ago.

A former member of the University of Illinois varsity team, the 24-year-old, 6-foot-1 netter has a 16-8 singles record and a 12-7 doubles mark during his junior year with the university. He received Illinois’ Scholar Athlete Award during that year.

“He has been applying to join the Davis Cup team for a long time, but ranking-wise, we were not impressed. This time he’s actively participating in Futures tournaments. He’s a good doubles player, too, which is what we really need,” Villanueva said.

Gonzales is currently ranked No. 775 in doubles at the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) and No. 939 in singles.