Team Philippines formally joined an eight-team field to the main draw of the 2019 International Tennis Federation World Junior Team Tennis finals in Prosjetov, Czech Republic.
The Filipinas, behind Alex Joy Milliam and Alexandra Eala, may have lost to the United States, 0-3, in their last game in Group B.
But their 2-1 win-loss record allowed the Filipinas to join Team USA in the quarterfinals.
To reach the semifinals, the Philippines will have to next deal with the host Czech squad.
In their game with Team USA, Tsehay Driscoll scored a win in the first singles with her 7-5, 6-3 triumph over Milliam before Claire Ngounque turned back Eala, 7-6 (7-3), 6-3.
In the doubles, Driscoll and Qavia Lopez outplayed Milliam and Eala, 6-4, 6-2.
Earlier in the week, Milliam and Eala came up with big wins to lead Philippines to two straight victories.
Their efforts lifted the Filipinas to a 3-0 rout of Venezuela and a 2-1 triumph over China.
Since 2003, the Philippines has not reached the finals. This is the first girls’ squad to have gone this far since 1993 at the clay courts of the TK Plus Arena.
The Philippines reached the quarterfinals with a doubles’ victory over China in the third tiebreak, after the pair of Milliam and Eala escaped with a 6-7(4), 6-3, 10-3 triumph over Jiatong Cai and Yiwen Xiang.