12th Gullas Cup moved to May 19-23

The 12th Gullas Cup, the longest running junior tennis tournament in the country, has been reset once again, this time from May 19 to 23 at the Cebu Country Club.

The event was initially set on April 14-18, but tournament director John Z. Pages said they postponed it to May so it won't be in conflict with the other tournaments where some of Cebu's brightest tennis stars are taking part.

"If we will stick with our original schedule, some of Cebu's top tennis players like the Siso siblings and Jacob Lagman will not be able to see action. This is the main reason why we're moving the Gullas Cup on May 19-23 and that is already final," said Pages.

The Siso siblings Sally Mae and Bernardine "Niño" as well as Jacob Lagman are currently in Manila vying for top honors in the Tru-Flex netfest. Next week, they will be off to Koronadal City to show their stuff in the Palarong Pambansa.

Pages, himself a loyal disciple of the sport, said moving the Gullas Cup to May is truly a blessing in disguise because it gives the players the opportunity to take part in three successive tournaments in one venue.

This as the 12th Gullas Cup, according to Pages, is sandwiched by the Head Penn tilt on May 15 to 18 and the Prince Tennis Age-Group Championships on May 24 to 27 at the Cebu Country Club.

"May 19 to 23 is really the ideal schedule. It's a blessing in disguise because our new schedule enables our players to enjoy the rare opportunity of competing in three straight tournaments at the same venue," said Pages.

Pages said they are expecting at least 150 netters from all over the country to participate in the biggest tennis event in the Vis-Min region advocated by the Gullas family through the efforts of University of the Visayas (UV) executive vice president Jose "Dodong" R. Gullas.

Now on its 12th year, the Gullas Cup has produced many champions who sparkled among top junior stars in the country in the mold of Berry Sepulveda, the Dumoran brothers James and Oswaldo, Janji Soquiño, and Babaw Tiongko to name a few.

Being a Group 2 Philippine Lawn Tennis Association (PHILTA)-sanctioned event, the top performing players will earn points needed for their individual rankings.

The categories to be featured in the four-day contest are the 10-under unisex, boys and girls 12, 14, 16, and 18-under.

Aside from the Siso siblings and Lagman, the other promising talents to watch out for are Vince Mark "Macmac" Tabo-Tabo, John Francis Largo, James Karl Cañete, Jin Querubin, Larry Antigua, and Ryan Repunte.

They will be challenged by a strong field of out-of-town opposition coming from Manila, Cagayan de Oro, Bohol, Bais, Iligan, Davao, Bacolod, Butuan, Dipolog, Bukidnon and Maasin.

Gullas Cup souvenir t-shirts will be given away to all the participants, while the different category winners will receive trophies, gift certificates and other freebies.

For registration and further details on the Gullas Cup, interested parties may keep in touch with Ging-ging at (032) 416-1122 local 100. - EBV