By Jean Malanum
MANILA – The Philippines has to hurdle Malaysia, Indonesia and Uzbekistan in a bid for promotional ranking in the Billie Jean King (BJK) Cup next week.
Shaira Hope Rivera and Alexa Joy Milliam from the University of Western Alabama, and Philippine Tennis Academy members Tennielle Madis and Stefi Marithe Aludo make up the national team that will see action in the BJK Cup Asia/Oceania Group 2 scheduled from June 16 to 21 at the National Tennis Centre in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
“Uzbekistan, Malaysia, and Indonesia are going to be the strongest teams,” said Dy during the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Forum on Tuesday at the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) conference hall inside the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex on Tuesday.
Also in Group 2 are Northern Marian Islands, Iran, Pacific Oceania, Kyrgyzstan, Singapore, and Mongolia.
The team will leave on Saturday, while the tournament draw is on Sunday.
Rivera, who was part of the team that played in Group 3 last December in Bahrain, is a member of the NCAA All-American Team Division II, while Milliam was named Intercollegiate Tennis Association-ITA National Freshman of the Year.
“I’m very excited to play again (for the Philippines). We have a good chance to win because (we) already know the players from other countries,” said the 25-year-old Rivera, an interdisciplinary management student.
The Filipinas are drawing inspiration from world’s No. 77 Alexandra Eala, a graduate of the Rafael Nadal Academy in Mallorca, Spain.
The 20-year-old, playing as a wild card, beat former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko in the second round, 7-6-7-5; No. 5 and reigning Australian Open champion Madison Keys in the third round, 6-4, 6-2, and No. 2 and five-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek in the quarterfinals, 6-2, 7-5 to reach the semifinal of the WTA1000 Miami Open in Florida in the United States last March.
Despite her 6-7 (3), 7-5, 3-6 loss to fourth seed American Jessica Pegula in the semifinal round, Eala became the first Filipina in the Open era to beat a player in the WTA Top 5. She is also the first Filipina to break into the Top 100, reaching a career-high No. 75 world ranking.
Dy, a mixed doubles gold medalist at the Southeast Asian Games (SEAG) in Indonesia (2011) and Singapore (2015), is excited about her new role as coach.
“It’s always an honor to serve my country, and now in a different capacity. I have faith in the team and I’m looking forward to great matches knowing that my players will do their best,” said Dy, who teamed up with fellow Fil-American Treat Huey at the 2019 SEAG.
Dy, who also serves as head coach of Fresno State University, will be assisted by PTA head coach Bobie Angelo, a veteran of the Davis Cup, in the BJK Cup.
“Both Tennielle and Stefi are ready, they’ve been playing in the ITF Junior Circuit. I expect them to perform well in the BJK Cup,” said Angelo, who also won medals in the SEAG.
The BJK Cup Asia/Oceania Group 2 format includes two round-robin pools of five (Pools A, B). The top two in each pool advance to the promotional play-offs (A1 v B2, B1 v A2).
The two winners of those play-offs will be promoted to Asia/Oceania Group I next year, while the bottom nation in each group (A5, B5) will be relegated to Group 3.
Philippine Tennis Association (PHILTA) Board member Dyan Castillejo and executive director Tonette Mendoza also attended the weekly session presented by San Miguel Corporation, Philippine Sports Commission, Philippine Olympic Committee, MILO, Smart/PLDT, and the country’s 24/7 app ArenaPlus.
“The long term goal is to have more women players,” said Castillejo, a former national player. “What Eala has done is great, she’s an inspiration to young players.” (PNA)
