GONZALES IN SMASHING WIN TO EVEN DAVIS CUP VS SRI LANKA 1-1 AFTER TIERRO LOSES 1ST SINGLES
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Sat, 01 Feb 2014
Ruben Gonzales smashed his way to a 6-3, 6-3, 6-0 win over Dineshkanthan Thangarajah to even Asia?Oceania II Davis Cup tie against Sri Lanka 1-1 after Patrick John Tierro lost his opening singles match against US-based Sri Lankan lefty Harshana Godamanna to give the hosts a 1-0 lead at the Sri Lanka Lawn Tennis Courts in Colombo.
Gonzales, the Philippines No.1 singles player was far too good for the Sri Lankan No. 2 and dominated the match with a superb all-round performance.
World rated doubles star Treat Huey and Johnny Arcilla will look to give the Philippines a 2-1 lead against the hosts when they take on Godamanna and Rakeev Rajapakse in the crucial doubles on Saturday.
Tierro who was a last minute addition to the team for the Asia-Oceania Group II tie was beaten in a five-set thriller by Godamanna.
The No.1 Sri Lankan won the first set 6- 3 but Tierro saved two match points in the second set to win it on a 7-6 tie-break, 10-8.
Tierro kept the momentum going by winning the third set 6-4 but Godamanna stormed back to take the fourth 6-2 to force a deciding fifth set which the Sri Lankan won 6-3.
PHILTA?s Davis Cup administrator Randy Villanueva who kept the Manila Standard constantly updated on the progress of the match said ?Sayang. There were some crucial calls here and there (against Tierro) while the crowd got into the match.?
The 28 year old Tierro last played in the Davis Cup against Pakistan in a Group II semi final some five years ago.
Roland Kraut, the Philippines non-playing team captain had hoped that Tierro could pull off an upset and indicated he was confident of his fitness and match toughness.
A backgrounder on Godamanna said he was ?one of the top players in Asia and brings an impressive tennis resume.?
Prior to joining the pro tour, Godamanna was ranked as high as 228 in the world imn singles among junior players. He is a five-time national champion and over the past three years had won 15 out of 17 matches for his country.
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