Vittaya sets target for his singles players
Thai captain Vittaya Samrej set an ambitious target of winning the two opening rubbers of the Davis Cup Zone Asia/Oceania Zone Qualifying Group II second round tie against the Philippines at the National Tennis Development Centre in Muang Thong Thani tomorrow.
Vittaya expects two points from the inform Wishaya Trongcharoenchaikul and rising star Jirat Navasirisombon in the singles matches as the visitors are here without their top players Francis Casey Alcantara and Ruben Gonzales.
“Our two singles players are in a good form and if they can live up to their potential, we should be 2-0 on the first day,” added Vittaya who also guided the team to a 3-1 win over Kuwait in the first round away tie in February.
Thai No 1 Wishaya will play the 17-year-old Alberto Lim Junior, a former junior world No 12, in the opening singles match, which will be followed by the clash between Jirat and Jason Patrombon, a bronze medallist in the 2015 SEA Games in Singapore.
Wishaya has a dismal record in the Davis Cup with two wins against four defeats but the Thai, who rose to his career-best rank of 702 this week, is confident that his current form will help him accomplish the mission.
“I have never played him before but I’m confident about my game. I will be aggressive and try to win the first point for Thailand,” said Wishaya, who has one semi-final and quarter-final appearances in Japan Men’s Futures this year.
The Wishaya-Lim match will be televised live on Truesport 4 or True 679 and PPTV online from 10am.
