Fil-Americans Cecil Mamiit and Treat Huey threw everything they have against their Japanese rivals Friday but fell short in the opening singles of their Davis Cup tie at the the Namihaya Dome in Osaka.

Mamiit, the reigning Southeast Asian Games singles champion, absorbed a 6-7 (4), 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 loss from Japanese No. 2 Go Soeda while Huey, who helped the Philippines win the team gold medal in the Laos Southeast

Asian Games last December, bowed to Tatsuma Ito, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4, to give the hosts a big 2-0 lead in their Asia-Oceania Zone Group I best-of-five matches tie.

It was a see-saw battle from the first serve onwards in the first match with the US-based Huey trying his best on the super fast taraflex carpet court, taking the first set in no time only to reel back against the power of the world No. 203 Ito, who won the next two sets.

Huey evened things up by winning the fourth set.

But Ito regained the momentum in the fifth and deciding set, getting the crucial service break in the 10th game as the hometown crowd cheered him on to take the match after three hours and 20 minutes.

It was the same for Mamiit, who won the first set via tiebreak but gave up three serves in the next three frames to absorb his second straight loss from Soeda in Davis Cup competitions.

The Japanese go for the jugular Saturday when Takao Suzuki and Toshihide face early nominees Johnny Arcilla and Francis Casey Alcantara in the curcial doubles match.

Filipino non-playing captain Chris Cuarto, however, is expected to field in Mamiit and Huey.