The Philippine Tennis Association (Philta) on Wednesday predicted the RP team has good gold-medal chances in five of the seven events in the 25th Southeast Asian Games in Vientiane, Laos next week.

Philta vice president Randy Villanueva said the squad, a mix of veteran and young palyers, has what it takes to win the men’s singles, men’s doubles, mixed doubles, men’s team event and women’s doubles.

Spearheading the Philippine campaign is veteran Cecil Mamiit, a two-time gold medal singles winner and fellow Fil-American Treat Huey who is a doubles specialist but also a threat in singles.

Joining them is another Fil-American, Riza Zalameda, who has returned to improve on her bronze-medal finish in the women’s doubles in 2005.

“Malaki ang chances natin doon for the gold medal,” said Villanueva referring to the five events he enumerated.

Mamiit, Zalameda and Huey will be joined by Johnny Arcilla, Patrick John Tierro, Denise Dy, Maricris Fernandez, and Christine Patrimonio.

Mamiit is expected to arrive today from the United States, while Huey will come on Saturday. The rest of the squad will leave on a chartered flight to Laos on Sunday.

The RP team hopes to improve its one-gold, two-silver and four-bronze medal finish in the 2007 Thailand meet especially with the return of Zalameda and Fernandez in the squad.

Fernandez was known as the last Filipina to win a singles gold which she did in the 1999 Brunei SEAG, while Zalameda also copped the mixed doubles gold with Mamiit in the 2005 Manila edition.

Arcilla and Tierro are veteran Davis Cuppers, while Patrimonio is the current top-ranked female player in the country.

Competitions in tennis start on December 9 and will end on December 18.