Fired up by support provided by Phiten (https://www.phitenphil.com/) and the Cebuana Lhuillier Group, the Philippines battles Kazakhstan in the Asia-Oceania Zone Davis Cup Tie. Date and venue for our Davis Cup campaign: September 19-21, 2008, Astana City, Kazakhstan. Designated tie referee is Mr. Nao Kawatei from Japan, who has an ITF Gold Badge.

Shown in the photo flashing the Number One sign are Phiten General Manager Ronnie Colmenar, Team Captain Chris Cuarto, Player Yannick Guba, Davis Cup Team Manager and Cebuana Lhuillier President & CEO Jean Henri Lhuillier, Players Patrick John Tierro and Johnny Arcilla, and PHILTA VP and Davis Cup Administrator Randy Villanueva. Not in the photo is Fil-Am standout Cecil Mamiit.

With limited flights to their destination, our team left Manila on Philippine Airlines on Friday, September 12, via Bangkok. They arrived at Almaty in Kazakhstan the next day, Saturday, September 13. They proceeded to Astana a few hours later, where they faced a six-day wait till the start of hostilities on Friday, September 19, with matches ending on Sunday, September 21.

Although the team left Manila without Mamiit, PHILTA VP Randy Villanueva told the Manila Times that the Fil-Am was earlier competing in an ATP-sanctioned tournament in Oklahoma, USA, and was originally expected to arrive in Manila on Tuesday, September 11. Mamiit, however, did not make it to Manila as scheduled, having received a wildcard to yet another ATP event. It was from this later tournament that he proceeded to Kazakhstan to rejoin the team.

According to the Manila Times on September 10, 2008, "World's No. 140 Yuri Schukin spearheads the Kazakhstan squad along with Alexey Kedriouk, Syrym Abdukhalikov, Dmitriy Makeyev and Stanislav Bykov."

"Kazakhstan holds a 2-1 advantage against the Philippines although the RP Cuppers won the last encounter in 2003 via 3-2 decision."

If they trounce the Kazakhs who wield the home court advantage, the Filipinos leave Astana victors on Tuesday, September 23, arriving in Manila to a raucous welcome on Thursday, September 25. - RMM