By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The Filipinos showed the world once again that they can slay giants.
Facing a formidable Greek duo in Petros Tsitsipas and Markos Kalovelenis, PH veteran duo Francis Casey Alcantara and Ruben Gonzalez defied all odds to stun the opponents in straight sets, 7-6, 6-4, in the Davis Cup Group II.
The PH duo’s relentless net game became the x-factor of the game as they closed the gap every time Tsitsipas tried to put pressure at the back lines and force the game into a baseline match.
However, Alcantara and Gonzalez pushed them further and attacked the net no matter the result of the shot and that paid off big time for them.
The Greeks managed to keep it close and break a couple of PH services but Alcantara and Gonzalez’s quick motors within the net area gained them full control of the match up to the second set.
Kalovelenis’ baseline game picked up late in the second set but the PH duo’s consistency with their net attack stayed the same and did not give any life to the Greeks.
“We got our momentum back and we started executing the things that we were talking about. I felt that we were the better team, so if we could do that, we’re going to win,” said Gonzalez.
