Monday, May 19, 2008 Siso goes 3-for-3 in Juntaphil title matches By Marian C. Baring Sun.Star Staff Reporter
WHEN Sally Mae Siso focuses on something, she gives everything she has to achieve it.
After the young Cebuana tennis superstar was blanked in a competition last week, she vowed to make a comeback. And what a comeback she made as she scored a hat trick in the Juntaphil Junior Tennis Championships yesterday at the Olivarez courts.
Siso made a complete turnaround after an empty-handed finish last week, winning three titles in the Girls 14, Girls 16 and the doubles event.
Siso had to hurdle several stumbling blocks before her victory run.
Earlier this week, Siso was contemplating on not going through with the competition as she disagreed to play at the Olivarez courts when she was about to face Shanine Olivarez. She also had to overcome her fear for biased calls and crowd to defeat Olivarez twice in her own turf and win three titles in the end.
As a bonus, she also defeated two higher seeds.
After defeating Olivarez, the country’s top player in the Girls 14 division, Siso then trounced Macy Gonzales, the No. 2 player in the 14-Under class, 6-2, 6-1, to claim the title. Later, in the Girls 14 doubles event, Siso and partner Marinel Rudas defeated Akiko de Guzman and Erika Lagura, also in straight sets.
Rudas may be Siso’s doubles partner, but the Cebuana, focused on her goal to win, gave no exception and did not spare her doubles partner as she clobbered her, 6-3, 6-2, for the Girls 16 title to complete her dominance.
Meanwhile, older brother Bernardine Niño, who was a double winner last week, suffered a different fate yesterday. Thinking that he has the edge going into the final round of their division Niño Siso came into the match complacent, ending in a devastating result.
Niños scorching run was put to a screeching halt when he lost to top-seed Leander Lazaro in the Boys 16 Under championship, 0-6, 2-6. This spoiled Bernardine’s eight straight victories after his stint in the Palarong Pambansa, where he came home with a gold medal.
“I have not been feeling very well because of the weather,” said Bernardine after the match.
Berandine admitted to his mother that he had underestimated his opponent, having had the upper hand in their head-to-head record.
“He was very complacent in that match,” Sally said.
The Sisos could no longer keep track of the number of times Niño and Lazaro had gone against each other since their 10-Under days. It was, however, very vivid in their minds that Lazaro only won twice against Siso.
The first time Lazaro was last year after Siso’s stint in India. Meanwhile, another Cebuano in the competition, Larry Antigua was set to play in the finals of the Boys 18 division. (MCB)
