Davis Cup tie switched from Syria to Philippines

Philippine tennis authorities said on Monday their planned away Davis Cup tie with Syria had been switched to a home event because of the deadly unrest in the Middle East country. The first round of the Davis Cup Asia-Ocenia Group II match had originally been scheduled for Syria in February, said Philippine Tennis Association vice president Randy Villanueva said. "The International Tennis Federation said it would be moved because of the conflict in Syria. The security situation prevents the holding of a competition like Davis Cup in Syria," he told AFP. Villanueva said the association had been informed over the weekend of the switch and that a decision had not yet been made on exactly where in the Philippines the event would be held. More than 36,000 people have died in Syria since an uprising against President Bashar al-Assad's regime erupted in March last year, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.