The Philippine Davis Cup team will try to be aggressive when the Filipinos meet their counterparts from New Zealand in the Asia-Oceania Zone Group II finals this weekend at the Philippine Columbian Association shell-clay court.

RP team spearhead, Fil-American Cecil Mamiit said that his experience in last year’s Group I tie against Uzbekistan taught him a lot of things on aggressiveness in gaining advantages.

“We have to play straight up, attack as fast as we could, at the start of the tie. It’s a lesson learned playing against Uzbekistan last year,” Mamiit said in on Tuesday’s PSA Forum at Shakey’s UN Avenue.

Mamiit recalled losing the doubles match with then partner Eric Taino and the deciding singles match against Denis Istomin where the Uzbeks eventually prevailed, 3-2, in the semifinals of that tie despite playing at homecourt.

The RP team had earlier bested Hong Kong, 4-1, and Pakistan, 3-2, in the first two rounds of the competitions while the Kiwis dumped Malaysia and Indonesia with similar 5-0 scores.

The 32-year-old Mamiit said the Filipino netters already have the court and homecrowd support, as well as a 2-1 head-to-head edge. The last time the Filipinos and the Kiwis met, in 2007 New Zealand, the Filipinos, led by Mamiit and Taino, won, 4-1.

“I think the New Zealand team has grown up over the past years, compared to the kind of team that we played against in 2007. So we need to get a lot of advantages that we can, knowing what these guys are capable of,” said Mamiit.

Mamiit will banner the RP team composed of fellow Fil-Am Treat Huey, Johnny Arcilla and Davis Cup rookie Elbert Anasta. The squad will be up against veterans Daniel King-Turner, Jose Statham, G.D. Jones and Mikal Statham.

Non-playing team captain Chris Cuarto is optimistic on the team’s chances, owing to the locals’ recent foreign campaigns.