CECIL Mamiit’s heroics helped the Philippines clinch its Asia Oceania Zone Group II Davis Cup tie against Hong Kong at the Victoria Park court yesterday.

Mamiit, the 32-year-old Philippines’ no. 1 netter, dug deep into his reserves of energy and his years of experience on the international tennis circuit to claw to victory, beating Hong Kong’s no. 1 Martin Sayer in the first of the reverse singles, to give the Philippines an insurmountable 3-1 lead going into the final no-bearing reverse singles.

The victory set up the Philippines for a semifinal clash with Pakistan on July 8 to 10 in Pakistan.

He won the first set against the 22-year-old Sayer, 6-4, but down, 4-5, in the second set. Mamiit, who was at one time in his career finished as high as no. 72 in the ATP rankings, failed to hold serve, enabling his foe to even the score at one-set apiece.

Sayer, one of Radford’s and the Big South’s finest players in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I, played well to take the third set, 6-3, putting the pressure on Mamiit.

The Fil-Am Davis Cup star was up, 5-3, in the fourth, but simply couldn’t put it away, enabling Sayer to break back and make it 5-4 with the Hong Kong player serving.

Mamiit, showing the courage he has displayed many times in the past, clawed back to ultimately take the fourth set on a tie break 7-6 (7-4) to arrange a gripping fifth and final set showdown.

He broke Sayer in the fifth game of the deciding set to take a 3-2 lead, then held serve to make it 4-2 before Sayer held his serve to edge closer at 4-3. Sayer then broke back and held serve to go ahead, 5-4. Games went with serve to make it 6-5. Mamiit held serve, then broke Sayer to go ahead, 7-6, after earlier saving one match point.

In a gripping match, Sayer saved two match points, but Mamiit went up again with a break at 8-7 and once more served for the set, match and tie.

Up 40-30 against Sayer, who played some amazing tennis, Mamiit closed it out with a scintillating ace that sent Filipinos in the stands cheering, while wiping away tears of joy according to Philta executive Randy Villanueva, who kept Standard Today updated all throughout the match.

Mamiit won the opening day’s rain-interrupted singles match against Yu Hiu Tung, 7-6, 6-1, 6-1, to even the tie at 1-1 after Davis Cup newcomer Treat Huey lost to Sayer in straight sets 6-4, 7-6, 6-2.

He then partnered Huey to win the doubles in a tough three-set affair, 7-5, 6-3, 7-6, playing the big points well.

Andy Yanne, in a report on the Hong Kong Tennis Association site, revealed that although the HK duo managed to break Huey’s serve three times in all to take momentary leads of 4-2 in the first set, 2-0 in the second, and 4-1 in the third, Mamiit would steady their ship time and again to bring the Filipinos back.

So steady was Mamiit’s play that he did not face a single break point on his serve, and was taken to deuce just once in the two-hour-and-nine-minute contest. Ronnie Nathanielsz