PH stays perfect in Billie Jean King Cup with win over Singapore

MANILA, June 17 ------ The Philippine women's tennis team is still unbeaten in the 2026 Billie Jean King Cup Asia/Oceania Group 2 after a 2-1 win over Singapore at the National Tennis Centre in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The team had beaten top-seeded Hong Kong on Monday. Tennielle Madis opened the tie with a dominant straight-sets win over Sue Yan Tan, 6-2, 6-3, giving the Philippines an early lead. Alexa Joy Milliam then dropped the second singles rubber to Eva Marie Desvignes, ranked 979th in the WTA, 0-6, 1-6, setting up a deciding doubles match.

Shaira Rivera and Milliam delivered when it mattered most, defeating the Desvignes-Tan tandem 6-4, 6-3 to seal the tie for the Philippines. Madis, who had fought through a three-hour match against Hong Kong yesterday, credited recovery work for helping her stay sharp. "Super super happy po talaga ako kasi ginapang po namin 'yung panalo," she said after her singles win. She added that she focused on a lot of stretching and hydration to bounce back from her grueling victory the previous day.

The Rivera-Milliam doubles pairing continues to be a reliable weapon for the Philippines as the two played together during the college spring season at the University of West Alabama. Rivera credited constant communication as the key to their doubles chemistry, echoing what she had said after the Hong Kong tie.

She acknowledged that Singapore was a tough opponent, but said the team was ready to grind. "Mahirap din po. Lahat naman po ng kalaban namin mahirap pero gagapang talaga kami para rin sa Pilipinas," Milliam said about Singapore. Stefi Marithe Aludo, who serves as both a squad member and an on-court motivator for the group, said she kept one message simple for the team: "Fight, walang bibitaw." "Gusto ko po makahelp sa team by cheering and supporting them," Aludo added.

Rivera also reflected on the value of competing in an international team environment. "Sobrang halaga po kasi… opportunity po sa aming apat na makalaro ng good players po mula sa ibang country so magandang experience din po sa amin ito," she said. She also spoke about the responsibility she feels as the most experienced player on the roster. "Stefi, Alexa, and Tenny po sinasabihan ko sila as ate nila na we need to be a team. Even if we're not same as them playing in WTA, if magkaisa po kami as a team and fight every point, I think we're going to win," Rivera said.

The team also drew strength from the support of Alex Eala, who could not join the campaign but reached out to her teammates before the competition. "Malaking tulong po noong nag-usap kaming lima," said Milliam. "Sabi niya laban lang, kaya niyo yan! She will support us daw." "We miss her po, lima kami dapat," Rivera added.

Head coach Denise Dy could not hide her pride in the team's performance through the first two days of competition. "I think the players, they were rookies last year, they have great competitive spirit these past couple of days. Great energy… They fought for every ball. They did a great job executing very critical points… I'm super proud of them," she said.

Dy also highlighted Rivera's leadership in the doubles, noting her and Milliam's familiarity as a pair. "They've had some great bonding time this past spring season… they play together very, very well. Anytime somebody's down, the other picks them up. Very good teamwork," Dy said.

Looking ahead, Dy acknowledged the difficulty of the group, noting that teams with WTA-experienced players will be fighting hard to avoid relegation. "Everybody's going to try and not get demoted so it's going to be a lot of pressure for not just us but also them for the next couple of days," she said.

The Philippines now stands at 2-0 in the group stage with two matches remaining against Pacific Oceania and Kyrgyzstan. "I'm excited to see how our team is going to carry momentum. I'm super pumped out. We had a great start but we still have a long week to go," Dy said.

Source: news.abs-cbn.com