PH women’s tennis team falls short of Billie Jean King Cup promotion

The Philippines misses its shot at promotion to Asia Oceania Group I of the Billie Jean King Cup as it bows to Mongolia in the crossover semifinals

MANILA, Philippine – The Philippine women’s tennis team come so close but not enough to reach the goal. 

The Filipinas fell short of promotion in the Billie Jean King Cup after a 2-0 loss to Mongolia in the Asia Oceania Group II crossover semifinals on Saturday, June 21, at the National Tennis Centre in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Tennielle Madis faltered in the endgame of the opening singles, dropping a 6-4, 0-6, 4-6 heartbreaker to Martaa Chogsomjav — a sorry loss for the Filipina ranked as the 201st junior in the world going up against an opponent ranked 759th.

The second singles saw a more decisive outcome. 

Alexa Milliam, an incoming sophomore at the NCAA Division II school University of West Alabama, succumbed to the power and aggression of 19-year-old Maralgoo Chogsomjav, an incoming junior at NCAA Division 1 school Kansas State University. The Mongolian chalked up a win in a little over an hour, 6-4, 6-1, in the process, eliminating the Philippines.

The team made up of veteran Milliam and her University of West Alabama teammate Shaira Hope Rivera and junior standouts Madis and Stefi Aludo came back from a tournament-opening loss to Indonesia and swept its remaining matches in Group B. 

The Denise Dy-coached Filipinas registered come-from-behind wins over Uzbekistan and Pacific Oceania and blanked Iran to finish second to Indonesia in Group B and earn a spot in the crossover semifinals against Group A topnotcher Mongolia.

Indonesia overcame host Malaysia in the other crossover semifinals, where only the winners will gain promotion to Group I of Asia Oceania. 

The Philippines will remain in Group II, a spot it earned last November when the Alex Eala-led national team topped the Group III competition in Manama, Bahrain. – Rappler.com