Pilipinas set to face Greece in new Davis Cup format

Davis Cup

The Davis Cup is set to implement a new format starting its 2020 edition, and as a result, it led to a historical tie for the Philippines.

The Filipinos have been slotted to play Greece in a World Group II playoff round this coming March at the clay courts of the Philippine Columbian Association in Plaza Dilao, Paco, Manila. This is the first time in almost two decades that the country is facing a non-Asian opponent in this competition since their matchup against Sweden back in 1991.

Such a matchup could potentially feature the 6th-ranked player in the world in Stefanos Tsitsipas against the likes of Jeson Patrombon, Francis Casey Alcantara, and AJ Lim, with the possibility of the presence of Ruben Gonzales and Treat Huey.

Teams have until Tuesday to determine their list of nominees for the tie.

The new Davis Cup format does away with regional matchups that comprised Group I and Group II  teams, instead pooling them together into World Group I and World Group II matchups. These are simultaneous with the World Qualifiers and the World Group I playoffs.

There will be a total of twelve home-and-away ties to be played with the Top 12 of the World Group II playoffs set to advance into World Group II ties this coming September against the losing countries in World Group I.

The prospects of being demoted to Regional Group III for unsuccessful teams in the Group II playoffs loom later in the year.

Philippines non-playing captain Chris Cuarto shares, "We’re excited of the new format because our team will have an opportunity to play not just Asians but also other strong players in the world."