Saturday, October 13, 2007 Sally Mae in finals v. doubles partner
SALLY Mae Siso of Cebu and Martina Guba stunned separate foes in similar easy fashion yesterday to arrange a championship showdown for the girls division in the Agra-Asian Tennis Federation U-14 Series at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center.
The 13-year-old Siso, playing in the 14-year-old level, pulled a stunning 6-2,6-3 upset win over no. 2 seed Theiviya Selvarajoo of Malaysia to reach the finals.
The unrated Guba, meanwhile, continued with her splendid performance by ousting no. 3 seed Shannine Olivarez, 6-0, 6-3, in the other semifinal match.
Both Siso, a first year high school student at the University of San Carlos, and the 13-year-old Guba, Thursday’s conqueror of top seed Adelle Chia Boey, 2-6. 6-4, 6-2, also of Malaysia, meet in the finals at the center court today at 10 a.m.
It was somehow a double whammy for both Siso and Guba as they displayed a harmonious working chemistry en route to forging another stunning 6-1,6-3 win over the second seeded pair of Hillary de Guzman and Selvarajoo to win the girls doubles title.
Tough route
The unseeded tandem of Siso and Guba endured a hard climb to the top, beating three seeded pairs---the first was the no. 1 rated Adelle Chia Boey and Shannine Olivarez, 6-4,6-3, and then the no. 3 seed Macy Gonzales and Patricia Orteza, 6-1,6-0 before clinching the crown.
“It was all our effort together. We played well together and we overcame the pressure. Even the fatigue seemed very controllable with the two of us working together,” Siso and Guba said.
In the boys division, Leander Lazaro of the Philippines continued his rise to prominence as he stopped the winning form of compatriot Tim Polero, 6-3, 6-3, to earn the right to play against the top seeded Ariez Elyaa Dean Hasham of Malaysia in the finals, also today.
As expected Dean Hasham made his way to the finals by beating Cebuano Bernardine Siso, 7-5, 4-6, 6-2 in the other semis match.
But all is not yet lost for the 14-year-old Siso as he paired with John Arnel Go to reach the semifinal round of the boys division at the expense of Kyle Cordero and Leander Lazaro, 3-6, 7-6 (6), 6-3.
They will be facing the Angelo Joseph Rivero and Alberto duo, winner over no. 2 seed Aashaam Goghari and Pearljit Singh of Malaysia, 6-0, 6-3, in the next round. (Frank Calapre).
