By Roselyn B. Monroyo
Variety News Staff

PACIFIC Oceania and New Zealand have never played against each other in the Davis Cup Asia/Oceania, but the Islanders are slightly favored against the Kiwis with respect to record and experience.
Pacific Oceania and New Zealand will collide in the first round of the Group 2 tie from Feb. 9 to 11 at the Edgar Centre in Dunedin, New Zealand.
Three New Zealand players have more losses than wins in the annual tournament.
The host’s highest-ranked player in the tournament this weekend will be Daniel King-Turner, who ranked No. 482 in the world in singles and No. 621 in doubles.
He played nine games the Davis Cup and lost five times and won four.
Last year, he lost to two Kazakhstan players.
Joining him on the team are Simon Rea (1-4 record) and Adam Thomson (1-2). Only Jose Statham has a good record in the tournament with a 3-1 slate. Statham only plays singles.
Leading the Islanders is non-playing captain Jeff Race of the Northern Mariana Islands Tennis Association.
Race, who left Saipan on Jan. 28, is bringing in the same team that retained their spot in Group 2. The Pacific Oceania team is composed of Solomon Island’s Michael Leong (8-5) Juan Langton (18-13) of Samoa, Brett Baudinett (13-16) of the Cook Islands and West Nott (1-3) of the Marshall Islands.
Leong, Langton and Baudinett have more experienced than the Kiwis, as they have been playing in the Davis Cup for the past few years. West started his stint on the team only last year.
Pacific Oceania bowed to Hong Kong in the first round, 1-4, but remained in Group 2 after tripping Malaysia, 3-2, at the Ligue Caledonienne de Tennis in Noumea, New Caledonia in April last year.
New Zealand won its opening tie against Lebanon, 5-0, but lost to Kazakhstan in the semifinals in the Group 2 tie, 2-3.
The Kiwis will be without their top player, who Race said in an earlier interview with the Variety was suspended due to a performance-enhancing drug-related issue.
“I believed among the three teams we will face this year, it’s in the game against New Zealand that we have a very good chance,” Race said.
Before going to New Zealand, Race was expected to be in Brisbane, Australia for a few days to meet his players and hold training sessions.
Win or lose against the Kiwis, the Islanders will have a tougher second match either against Pakistan or the Philippines.
Pakistan was in Group 1 last year, while the Philippines was promoted to Group 2.