‘No need to break up a winning combination’

Oceania Tennis Federation cited Pacific Oceania Davis Cup captain Jeff Race’s success in promoting and then maintaining the team’s place in Group II and his ability to coax out the best from his players as the main reasons why the longtime CNMI National coach was retained for two more years.

According to Patrick O’Rourke, executive officer of OTF, which is the governing association for the sport in the region, the former Champman University star has acquitted himself well to the powers that be at OTF.

“The executive [committee of OTF] was delighted with the performance of the team this year and with Jeff’s captaincy over the last two years, which has seen Pacific Oceania gain promotion and retain the position,” said O’Rourke. “Jeff has been able to get the best out of a largely inexperienced team and also he adjusted very well himself to his first experience as captain at the Group II level.”

According to O’Rourke, in line with normal policy the OTF executive committee sought nominations for captain for 2006 and 2007 from the 17 Pacific Oceania nations. Three applications were received with all candidates having previous experience in Davis Cup competition, either as players or captains.

“There were three applications—all of who had Davis Cup playing or captain experience—but in the end, the executive decided to keep the ‘winning combination’ going for the next two years,” he added.

O’Rourke said, in the end, the executive committee decided that, given the success and unity within the present team, that Race should be given the job for a further term.

Asked what the OTF expects of Race and his Davis Cup team in 2006, O’Rourke said the objective is to win at least one tie and retain Pacific Oceania’s position in Group II.

Race took over the team when it was struggling and slipped to its lowest level ever, to Group IV, in 2003. But with old hands Race, Juan Langton of Western Samoa and Brett Baudinet of Cook Islands, the team immediately bounced back to Group III.

Then with newcomer Michael Leong of the Solomon Islands fortifying the team, Pacific Oceania finished the Group III competition held in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam with a 4-1 record.

The team’s victories included a 3-0 blasting of Syria, a 3-0 sweep of Bahrain, a 2-1 win over host Vietnam, and a nail-biting 2-1 triumph over Tajikistan. Its only loss came in the finals against Kazakhstan, which took two of three games against the islanders.

Last March, Pacific Oceania went up against seeded Lebanon in Lautoka, Fiji in its first Davis Cup Group II tie in home soil in years. Race this time stepped down as playing captain and recruited Cyril Jacobe of Vanuatu to solidify a rotation that had Leong, Langton, and Baudinet.

With the Middle East powerhouse underestimating the team, the islanders raced to a 2-0 lead by sweeping the opening singles. Although, Lebanon took the doubles, Leong finished the job by winning the first of two reverse singles to allow Pacific Oceania to advance to the semis of Group II.

Race and company, however, ran smack into a runaway freight train when it opposed top seeded South Korea in hostile ground last July in Seoul. With ATP-ranked players leading the East Asian nation’s charge, Pacific Oceania was swept 5-0, this despite Race replacing Jacobe with former Georgia Tech tennis standout West Nott of the Marshall Islands.

O’Rourke said the draw for 2006 Davis Cup will be made in Paris at the end of the month. He said Pacific Oceania would again have a chance to host a home tie if the coin toss goes its way. Details of the 2006 program will be released at the beginning of October.