Young tennis star Jurence Mendoza has won the singles championship in the Consolation round and with his partner Basil Khuma of India finished runners-up in the doubles finals in Belgium.

Roland Kraut, one of the coaches on the ITF Team Asia 14 and under Europe Tour informed us that in the fifth and last leg of the ITF Team Asia 14 and under Europe Tour in Hasselt, Belgium.

Mendoza was Champion in the Singles consolations playing some fine tennis to overcome Omar Gamal El Din of Egypt  6-1, 6-4 in the finals

Mendoza earlier blasted Mateusz Terczynski of Poland who is ranked No. 177 in Europe  6-1, 6-1, blanked Marc Blancaneaux of France  (Europe #220) 6-0, 6-0 before ripping Mounir Ferchichi of Tunisia 6-2, 6-0.

Kraut reported that in the doubles the unseeded pair of Jurence Mendoza and Basil Khuma of India reached the finals but lost against 4th seeds Silas Araujo De Cerquierra of Brazil and Pedro Iamachkine of Peru to grab runner-up honors.

On the way to the finals Mendoza and Khuma scored a stunning  upset over  No. 2 seeds Christian Carli and Jacopo Stefanini of Italy in the quarter finals winning easuly 6-1, 6-1 and No. 7 seeds  Clement Green and Arnaud Koutenkakis of Belgium in the first round in a monumental struggle 7-5, 6-7, 11-9 after being down two match points at 7-9 in the third. They also hammered Cellupica Towers and Jack Haworth of Great Britain  6-1, 6-0 in the second round and overcame Colin Wong and Walterschied Tukic of Germany  in a much tougher semi final showdown  6-3, 7-5.

The tennis coach said Mendoza had to sit out last week’s 4th leg in Cologne, Europe because of  a slight tear in his groin during the 3rd week in France and  had to retire in his singles match while being one set up. Kraut said Mendoza seventy percent ready to play last week but he  thought it was better for him to rest and fully recover rather than risk further injury.

In the final stop Mendoza was again  unlucky in the draw and faced 10th seed and Europe #59 Xander Veys of Belgium in the first round and lost 2-6, 3-6. Veys was one of the favorites in the draw after impressive runs in the last 2 tournaments, and playing in his home town.

Kraut said they are heading back to Manila on Sunday after six weeks of competition in France, Holland, Germany and Belgium.

Philippine Davis Cup team captain and the country’s No. 1 singles player has reached the finals of the US Open National Playoffs at the Atlanta Athletic Club and will play No. 1 seed Blake Strode for the championship.

The US Open official website said that Mamiit and Strode are competing for a wild c ard into the 2010 US Open Qualifying Tournament . The Mamiit-Strode finals showdown has been described as a clash between a veteran and an up-and-comer with Mamiit being 34 years of age and Strode who is from St. Louis 23 .

In the semi finals Mamiit who was seeded No. 3 faced No. 4 seed Chris Wettengel, the 28 year old from Saratoga, California to win in straight sets 7-5/-6-3.

The US Open official website reported that both players exchanged breaks of service before Mamiit broke Wettengel to take the first set 7-5.

In the second set when the match was moved indoors because of the intense heat outside Mamiit who is always in great physical condition played with his usual intensity with the crowds cheers echoing on the indoor courts and out ran Wettengel and advanced to the finals with a 7-5/6-3 win.

In the first semi finals Strode overcame Haiti’‘s No. 3 seed Oliver Sajous cruising to a 6-3/6-0 win firing six aces and winning 84 percent of his first serve points in the opening set. Strode was a standout at the University of Arkansas and deferred going to Harvard Law School to turn pro.

Mamiit has actually played in the US Open main draw in 1996, 1997, 1999 and 2000 and at one time rose to No. 72 in the world rankings in 1992. He also appeared in each of the four Grand Slams, advancing to the second round except at Wimbledon.

The US Open website reported that before reaching the finals of the US Open National Playoffs Mamiit won the USTA Southern California Sectional Qualifying Tournament, losing just eight games in six matches in the event with one opponent withdrawal and one 6-0/6-0 victory in the semi finals.

Both Strode and Mamiit have competed in the US Open and even though 11 years of age and levels of tennis experience separate the two, both the veteran Mamiit and the ip-and-coming Strode will have their eyes set on Flushing Meadows to return to the tournament every player would love to compete in.

Philippine Davis Cup team captain and the country’s No. 1 singles player Cecil Mamiit reached the finals of the US Open National Playoffs at the Atlanta Athletic Club but lost ub three sets to the No. 1 seed Blake Strode in the battle for the championship.

Mamiit played some excellent tennis to take Strode out of his game in the first set which the Filipino won 6-2 but the big serving Strode came back to take the second set 6-4 to set up a decider.

Mamiit gave it his all in stretching the younger No. 1 seed to a tiebreak which he eventually lost 6-7.

The US Open official website said that Mamiit and Strode are competing for a wild card into the 2010 US Open Qualifying Tournament . The Mamiit-Strode finals showdown has been described as a clash between a veteran and an up-and-comer with Mamiit being 34 years of age and Strode who is from St. Louis 23 .

In the semi finals Mamiit who was seeded No. 3 faced No. 4 seed Chris Wettengel, the 28 year old from Saratoga, California to win in straight sets 7-5/-6-3.

The US Open official website reported that both players exchanged breaks of service before Mamiit broke Wettengel to take the first set 7-5.

In the second set when the match was moved indoors because of the intense heat outside Mamiit who is always in great physical condition played with his usual intensity with the crowds cheers echoing on the indoor courts and out ran Wettengel and advanced to the finals with a 7-5/6-3 win.

In the first semi finals Strode overcame Haiti’‘s No. 3 seed Oliver Sajous cruising to a 6-3/6-0 win firing six aces and winning 84 percent of his first serve points in the opening set. Strode was a standout at the University of Arkansas and deferred going to Harvard Law School to turn pro.

Mamiit has actually played in the US Open main draw in 1996, 1997, 1999 and 2000 and at one time rose to No. 72 in the world rankings in 1992. He also appeared in each of the four Grand Slams, advancing to the second round except at Wimbledon.

The US Open website reported that before reaching the finals of the US Open National Playoffs Mamiit won the USTA Southern California Sectional Qualifying Tournament, losing just eight games in six matches in the event with one opponent withdrawal and one 6-0/6-0 victory in the semi finals.

Both Strode and Mamiit have competed in the US Open and even though 11 years of age and levels of tennis experience separate the two, both the veteran Mamiit and the ip-and-coming Strode will have their eyes set on Flushing Meadows to return to the tournament every player would love to compete in.

After losing the crucial doubles following the opening day split of the singles matches, the Philippine Davis Cup team needed to fight back to level the score at 2-2 before Treat Huey takes on Ti Chen in the second reverse singles that would decide the outcome of the Asia Oceania Zone Group 1 playoff at the Yang Ming Tennis Center in Kaohsiung, Chinese-Taipei Sunday.

The Chinese-Taipei pair of Tsung-Hua Yang and Chu-Huan Yi overcame the gutsy Filipino duo of Mamiit and Huey in four grueling sets that lasted 3 hours and 30 minutes before the hometown tandem prevailed 6-3, 7-5, 6-7 (5), 7-6 (6), to give them a 2-1 lead going into the final day’s reverse singles.

Chinese-Taipei had to play at the top of their game to turn back the challenge of Mamiit and Huey with Philippine delegation head and former junior standout Randy Villanueva commending the Filipinos saying “The boys gave their best, but they just didn’t get the chances.”

With the loss of the doubles the Cebuana Lhuillier RP Davis Cup team faced a must win situation in Sunday’s  first reverse singles which sent Philippine playing captain Mamiit against Yang who overcame Huey on Friday after being stretched to the limit.

Mamiit needed to win to give Huey a chance to clinch the tie against Ti Chen who retired in his singles encounter against Mamiit due to cramps and if Huey who is in great physical shape can pull Ti Chen around the court and wear him down the Philippines could pull it off with a late rally.

Villanueva was confident saying “This will be a crucial singles for Mamiit. I think Treat Huey can handle the fifth game if Mamiit wins his reverse singles.”

After Mamiit won the first set 6-3, Yang came back to take the next two 6-3/6-2 but Mamiit fought back in customary fashion to win the fourth set 6-3 and set-up what is certain to be an epic battle in the fifth and final set which was being played at press time

But it was not to be as the Philippines No.1 Cecil Mamiit lost a grueling five set battle against Tsung Hua Yang 6-2/3-6/2-6/6-3/3-6 in a classic match that lasted 3 hours and 45 minutes.

After the Chinese-Taipei pair of Tsung-Hua Yang and Chu-Huan Yi overcame the gutsy Filipino duo of Mamiit and Huey in four grueling sets that lasted 3 hours and 30 minutes before the hometown tandem prevailed 6-3, 7-5, 6-7 (5), 7-6 (6), to give them a 2-1 lead going into the final day’s reverse singles, Mamiit realized he had to win for the Filipinos hopes to stay alive but it was not to be.

Chinese-Taipei who had to play at the top of their game to turn back the challenge of Mamiit and Huey saw Philippine delegation head and former junior standout Randy Villanueva commend the Filipinos saying “The boys gave their best, but they just didn’t get the chances.”

With the loss of the doubles the Cebuana Lhuillier RP Davis Cup team faced a must win situation in Sunday’s  first reverse singles which sent Philippine playing captain Mamiit against Yang who overcame Huey on Friday after being stretched to the limit.

Mamiit needed to win to give Huey a chance to clinch the tie against Ti Chen who retired in his singles encounter against Mamiit due to cramps and if Huey who is in great physical shape can pull Ti Chen around the court and wear him down the Philippines could pull it off with a late rally.

Villanueva said the Mamiit-Yang match was “the best Davis Cup match I ever watched while the crowd was amazed with the quality of the game.”

With the tie lost, Johnny Gonzales was set to play the final no-bearing singles.

Mamiit whose tremendous physical conditioning is one of his assets lost the first set 3-6 but came storming back to take the next by an identical 6-3 score to set-up what appeared to be a classic.

Philippine delegation head and former juniors standout Randy Villanueva said however that Mamiit “outhustled and out-ran his opponent and made him sweat for every point before Chen-Ti cramped” in the sixth game of the third set with Mamiit leading 4-1 forcing him to quit after a 2 hour 20 minute struggle.

Mamiit has been a tower of strength and an inspiration to tennis fans ever since he suited up for the country along with Eric Taino who has since stopped playing competitive tennis. But the tennis gods looked favorably on the Philippines and and along came Treat Huey, a solid doubles player who has the added advantage of being a lefty like Taino.

Although doubles is his forte, Huey has also played some big singles matches for the Philippines and is expected to improve since he is still comparatively young.

With the doubles turning out to be crucial Mamiit and Huey are likely to take the court against Chinese-Taipei,  replacing the original nominees Fil-Am rookie Ruben Gonzales and veteran Johnny Arcilla in the 4:00 p.m. match on Saturday.

With his win Mamiit notched his 15^th singles victory since he joined the RP team in 2006. The Philippines needs to win the tie against Chinese-Taipei to maintain its position in Group I because a loss would send the squad into a final playoff match against the losing team between South Korea and Uzbekistan who are both formidable teams.

The Davis Cuppers were in high spirits after the draw on Thursday  which team manager Jean Henry Lhuillier described as “very even for both teams” which reflected team captain Mamiit’s assessment of the tie as “fifty-fifty.”

However, Treat Huey who is a doubles specialist but has done well in singles in the Asia-Oceania Zone Group I playoff lost his opening singles match to Yang Tsang Hua in a 2 hour 30 minute grind 3-6/6-7/6-7 although Mamiit who is ranked No. 513 overcame Chen Ti who is ranked higher at 423 to set up a crucial doubles match on Saturday. .

Yang is ranked No. 295 in singles and 162 in doubles while Huey who made the main draw at the recent Wimbledon men’s doubles with partner Somdev Devvarman of India is ranked 773 in singles and 125 in doubles.

In the match played at the Yang Ming Tennis Center in Kaohsiung which is an outdoor facility and has a hard acrylic surface and seats just over 4,200 spectators. Huey was up in the second set tiebreak 4-1 and 5-2 but eventually let it slip away and lost 7-5 with Yang stringing five points in a row to clinch the set.

The third set was also another grueling battle which Huey lost on another tiebreak 5-7.

RP delegation head and former junior standout Randy Villanueva told insidesports.ph, Standard Today and Viva Sports that Huey “worked hard in every single point and made the match really close. Just lack of the breaks in the tiebreak made the difference and allowed Chinese-Taipei to take a 1-0 lead.

Lhuillier had earlier said he expects the games “to be really close with both teams very familiar with the court surface and the weather in Kaohsiung which is very similar to the weather in Manila.”

The team which also includes Johnny Arcilla and newcomer Ruben G onzales who, according to RP delegation head and former national youth standout Randy Villanueva “is very excited and very focused in training” since they arrived in Taipei on Sunday.

Gonzales who is ranked 906 in singles and a much higher 639 in doubles is also providing Mamiit and Huey good practice in singles and especially in doubles, partnering with Arcilla against Mamiit and Huey.

He said the team workouts have been “very good so far especially with Mamiit deciding on what things to do for the drills and practice.” Villanueva said he feels the team is “focused, determined and preparing well.”

For the first time the Philippines has a physical therapist / trainer, Narlon Dagatan from the Philippine Center of Sports Medicine with the Davis Cup team and “everyone agrees he is an asset” because as a result the “recovery time of the players is quicker with the trainer handling the stretching, taping and massaging the players when needed.”

Treat Huey who is a doubles specialist bur has done well in singles in the Asia-Oceania Zone Group I playoff  will face Yang Tsang Hua in the opening singles while the Philippines No.1 Mamiit  who is ranked No. 513 in singles will play Chen Ti who is ranked higher at 423 in the second singles on opening day .

Yang is ranked No. 295 in singles and 162 in doubles while Huey who made the main draw at the recent Wimbledon men’s doubles with partner Somdev Devvarman of India is ranked  773 in singles and 125 in doubles.

The matches will be played at the Yang Ming Tennis Center in Kaohsiung which is an outdoor facility and has a hard acrylic surface and seats just over 4,200 spectators.

Lhuillier said he expects the games “to be really close with both teams very familiar with the court surface and the weather in Kaohsiung which is very similar to the weather in Manila.”

The team which also includes Johnny Arcilla and newcomer Ruben G onzales who, according to RP delegation head and former national youth standout Randy Villanueva “is very excited and very focused in training” since they arrived in Taipei on Sunday.

Gonzales who is ranked 906 in singles and a much higher 639 in doubles is also providing Mamiit and Huey good practice in singles and especially in doubles, partnering with Arcilla against Mamiit and Huey.

He said the team workouts have been “very good so far especially with Mamiit deciding on what things to do for the drills and practice.” Villanueva said he feels the team is “focused, determined and preparing well.”

For the first time the Philippines has a physical therapist / trainer, Narlon Dagatan from the Philippine Center of Sports Medicine with the Davis Cup team and “everyone agrees he is an asset” because as a result the “recovery time of the players is quicker with the trainer handling the stretching, taping and massaging the players when needed.”

Francis Casey “Nino” Alcantara has been beaten in the junior’s singles round of 32 at Wimbledon by Argentina’s Facundo Arguello in three sets.

Alcantara whose combined ranking was No. 57   won the first set 6-4 but the Argentine whose combined rating was 76 fought back to take the second 6-1 and then clinched a place in the round of 16 by winning the deciding third set 6-4.

Alcantara had earlier beaten France’s Gregoire Barrere whose combined ranking was No. 96 in a gripping match in the opening round. After winning the opening set handily 6-1, Alcantara played some erratic tennis to lose the second set by the same margin 6-1 to set up a deciding third set which was a grueling struggle before the lanky Filipino finally edged the French junior 11-9 to seal the win and set up the clash with Arguello.

Arguello had beaten No 15 seed Roberto Quiroz of Ecuador 6-2/0-6/6-3 to advance to the round of 32.

Jeson Patrombon whose current combined ranking was No. 39 was beaten in the first round at Wimbledon by Mitchell Frank of the United States in straight sets 6-1/7-5.