Bringing the tie at the PCA indoor courts is one of the options considered by the Philippine Tennis Association to boost the country’s chances.

"It’s one of the plans because the Uzbeks play better on faster grounds. Gusto nating i-challenge sila sa mabagal na court," RP non-captain Martin Misa said.

Uzbekistan, coming off a 3-2 defeat at the hands of India in New Delhi, is a formidable team, Misa conceded.

"But they can be beaten. We have two months to prepare," Misa said.

Fil-Americans Cecil Mamiit and Eric Taino are expected to carry the cudgels anew for the team with support coming from homegrown bets Patrick John Tierro and Johnny Arcilla.

Mamiit will campaign in Thailand while Tierro and Arcilla will resume training after a one-week break.

"So far we are focused on local training. If support comes, hopefully we can send them to foreign exposures," Misa said.

In their first and only meeting, Uzbekistan, behind Oleg Ogorodov and Dmitri Tomashevich, swept the RP squad of Joseph Lizardo, Michael Misa and Robert Angelo, 5-0, on hardcourt in Tashkent, Uzbekistan in September, 1997.

Misa is hoping that the Uzbeks’ unfamiliarity with the court and the summer heat will work in the country’s favor.

The RP captain is also counting on the fact that Mamiit and Taino have beaten the pair of Denis Istomin and Farukh Dustov in the quarterfinals of the 2006 Doha Asian Games doubles event.

The PCA indoor courts have been the site of many RP triumphs in the past including an epic 3-2 win over Japan in the late eighties.