Sally Mae Siso, Pages start strong in Gullas Tennis Cup

MANILA, Philippines - Multi-titled Cebuana netter Sally Mae Siso and the vastly-improved Jana Pages hurdled their opening assignments with relative ease at the start of the 18th Gullas Tennis Cup yesterday at the Cebu International Tennis Centre, Inc. (CITCI) courts in Laray, Consolacion.       

Sally Mae, a varsity player from the University of San Carlos (USC), handily beat Christine Bellita of the University of the Visayas ((UV), 6-1, 6-0 to advance into the semifinal round of the girls 21-under category.

Sally Mae will face next Tacloban’s Grace Melchor, who bumped off Mary Clare Lazaga, 7-5, 6-4.

Sally Mae’s sister Sallydine was not as lucky, losing to  Elgy Dasian of Naga, 6-0, 6-4 in the same age-group.

It was actually a resounding twinkill for Dasian as she earlier overpowered Cherry Mae Toledo, 6-2, 6-0 to barge into the girls 18-under semifinals. Up next for Dasian is Kezia Jabines of Baybay, Leyte, who ousted Kristina Dicdican, 6-1, 6-0.

Pages, on the other hand, stole part of the first-day spotlight after she pulled off a 6-0, 6-0 whitewash of Joy Marie Colonia to reach the penultimate round of the girls 18-under category.

The girls 12-under semifinals cast is also now complete, with Cristella Sampan dumping Mary Therese Nocos, 6-0, 6-0, and Mary Nathalie Cobarde coming up with a 6-1, 6-1 demolition of Jean Rica Banares. Pherl Bless Coderos and Tamara Suquib, for their part, advanced after both won by default.

Manila’s Elijah Arevalo and Kristin Renee Salimbangon also progressed into the last four after edging out separate opponents.

Arevalo outsmarted Francis Lambayan, 6-3, 6-1 in the boys 16-under, while  Salimbangon blasted Tamara Kaye Suquib, 6-1, 6-0.

In the girls 16 matches, Beverly Enriquez proved too much to handle for Marie Andre Danica Toledo, 6-0, 6-0.

In the boys action, Christopher Encarnacion tamed Francis Navales, 6-2, 6-3, Jermaine Laurel subdued Flame Sotto, 6-3, 6-1, Mark Anthony Bienes outgunned John Ibones, 6-1, 6-0, while Andrei Rodriguez prevailed over Francis Pepito, 6-2,  6-0. The winners move into the quarterfinals.

In the other quarterfinalist in the 18-under category were Joshua Kinaadman, Jarryd Laurel and Marc Norman Enriquez. Kinaadman bested Rjay Yaranon, 6-0, 6-1, Laurel won over Christian Seth Rabaya, 6-1, 6-2, while Marc Norman Enriquez silenced Jarred Codilla, 6-0, 6-0.

They are joined into the next phase of the tournament by Francis Lambayan, Rey Dante Toledo, Jace Toledo, Nathaniel Alipe, Francis Navales, Zudie Karl Balundo, and Clyde Dujali in the boys 14 –under and Cesar Kristofer Salimbangon, Josh Nicholas Abad, Cristela Marie Sampan, Noella Kaye Ramos, Pherl Bless Coderos, Harland Hogan, Ashton Villanueva and Gabriel Trazo in the boys 12-under. (FREEMAN)