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The Philippine women’s tennis team heads back to international play in the Billie Jean King Cup, where the debuting Alex Eala hopes to lead the national squad’s bid for promotion
MANILA, Philippines –The last time the Philippines played in the Billie Jean King Cup, Alex Eala was just 14 years old. This week, the national tennis standout heads into her first Billie Jean King Cup as the highest ranked player in the entire field of the Asia Oceania Group III.
Less than a week after the Philippine men’s team flew to Bahrain to sweep its four ties in Group V, thus earning a promotion to Group IV of the Davis Cup, it will be the Philippine women’s team’s turn to mark the country’s return to international team play from November 25-27 at the Bahrain Tennis Club in Manama.
The Philippine team will be led by the 19-year-old Eala and former Philippine No. 1 Marian Capadocia.
Completing the squad are two highly touted US-based players in Khim Iglupas and Shaira Rivera, who both compete for the University of West Alabama varsity squad.
Iglupas, who hails from Iligan, earned All-American honors after finishing as the fifth-best player in the NCAA Division II this year, while Rivera was a former Ateneo de Manila star from Davao.
Longtime national team member Denise Dy, who is the head coach of the US NCAA Division I school Fresno State University, serves as the Philippine team’s non-playing captain.
The Philippines has been drawn in Pool B along with Qatar, Nepal, and Guam.
Dy will need to steer her wards to the top of Pool B to advance to the playoff for promotion, where they will face the top team from Pool C, which is composed of host Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Laos, and Turkmenistan.
The winner of the playoff encounter will earn a promotion to Group II in 2025.
The Philippine Tennis Association (PHILTA) was suspended in December 2020 by the world governing body of the sport, the International Tennis Federation (ITF), due to mismanagement issues.
This prevented the country from joining both the Billie Jean King Cup and the Davis Cup for over four years.
ITF reinstated PHILTA early this year after the local federation instituted changes in leadership.
The last time the country participated in the Billie Jean King Cup was in February 2020, when a team composed of Capadocia, Rivera, and Ana Clarice Patrimonio swept pool play, but fell to host New Zealand in the playoff match to miss out on the chance to earn a promotion to Asia Oceania Group I. – Rappler.com
