Sunday, March 30, 2008 Umpire cheats: Sally Mae ends Jakarta bid with a tear
SALLY Mae Siso closed her bid in the International Tennis Federation Asian Under-14 Championship 2008 with a tearful ending. These were barely tears of joy as it was more on frustration on her hard-earned win at the close of the tournament yesterday at the Pusat Tenis Kemayoran tennis courts in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Siso needed three sets to sneak past Carmen Lai of Hong Kong, 3-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-2, to notch her third win in the competition, which is the second leg of the series.
Siso wanted to end her bid positively. Losing the first set, however, only gave Siso an added pressure to win the second set. Otherwise, she would have left Jakarta in defeat.
It was a close contest, with Siso and Lai taking turns winning a game. For the second time in her two weeks in Jakarta, the 13-year-old tennis stalwart from University of San Carlos (USC) cried.
Apparently, Siso had noticed unfair officiating since the first set and reached her boiling point in the second set, when the battle was fierce.
“Tikasan kaayo ang umpire. Ni-iyak nalang ko pag second set,” Siso said in a text message. (The umpire was a cheater. I just cried in the second set.)
Siso braved through her frustrations and managed to go ahead in points that sent the match to a tie break, which Siso won eventually. This gave her a new lease in life and a more rejuvenated Siso made her attack in the deciding set. This time, she hacked more sure shots and it did not take long before Siso closed the set in her favor.
In the end, Siso ended her Jakarta voyage at 12th place. On top of the three wins in this week’s tourney, Siso also earned two victories during the first leg last week. Apart from this, Siso earned ITF points to add to the points she earned while competing in India last year.
Siso and the rest of the Under-14 RP team members Shanine Olivarez, Enrique Ferrer, Dheo Talatayod and Arjhohn dela Cruz, were treated to a free three-day training before the competition.
This tournament, which is part of a series, is geared towards finding the top players in this age group, who will be enjoying exposure trips and competitions in Europe later this year.
The RP team, led by coach Matteo Ferrer, will be coming home today. Upon arrival, Siso will right away plunge into action in the Truflex competition, which is rated Group 1 by the Philippine Tennis Association. (MCB)
