VISITING junior netters from Mindanao are eyeing for no less than the titles in the boys’ and girls’ 16-Under category of the 4th Globe CitiGreen Junior Tennis Cup, which kicked off yesterday in three venues in Cebu City.
First-timer Sydney Ezra Enriquez of Zamboanga Del Norte started her bid for title with a win against City of Naga’s Febie Gil Abayan, 8-1, at the CitiGreen Tennis Resort yesterday to advance to the second round against Jossah Mae Ranas.
“I want to win the championship in my division,” said the 15-year-old Enriquez, who has won several tournaments in Cebu like the Cebuana Age-Group Tournament and the Palawan Pawnshop tennis tournaments.
Enriquez, a 2016 Palarong Pambansa player, wants to extend her winning streak here in Cebu after winning five tournaments in Mindanao—three in Zamboanga City and two events Lanao Del Norte.
“As a preparation for the tournament, I’ve been playing every day for about five hours. I hope it will pay off here,” said the Grade 9 student of Salug National High School.
On the other hand, defending champion Stephen Zion Guia is eyeing to retain the crown in the boys’ 16-Under. He won last year and was part of the CitiGreen Junior Tennis Team that competed in Thailand.
Guia, 16, finished the tournament in Thailand with a bronze medal in the singles and silver medal in the doubles. The highlight of his stint in Thailand was when he pulled off an upset against the no. 1 seed from Indonesia in the singles.
“I want to defend my crown so I can participate in the international tournament again. I will give my best in this tournament, but I can’t assure you of a win because the match will still be played,” he said.
Guia, a Grade 10 student of Dipolog Galas National High School, drew a bye in the first round and will wait for his opponent in the second round. He did not relax a bit when he arrived in Cebu the other day.
“I practiced even if I didn’t have a match. It’s also important to pace myself so I will be relaxed when I get to play,” he said. “Before coming here I have been training on my footwork and stamina.”
In the other results yesterday, Mary Andrea Buyante beat Kartina Frances Plopenio, 8-3; Princess Nichole Dela Rita defeated Matta Marianne Amelie, 8-7; Princess Debbie Gom-os won over Crystal Joy Galeos, 8-0; and Ranas outlasted Claire Guibone, 8-2, in the girls’ Under 16.
In the girls’ Under-14, Yvonne Marie Cuevas won against Cristal Mae Abella, 8-1; Feb Nicole Villar beat Victoria Marie Beltrano, 8-2; Eve Denise Onglatco defeated Josephine Andrea Torres, 8-3; Kirsten Albofera won over Bernice Marie Restificar, 8-1; and Johannah Perral beat Caitlin Daniella Go, 8-0.
The champions of this tournament will join the CitiGreen Junior Team that will compete in Malaysia and Thailand—the Penang Junior International Championships on Nov. 29 to Dec. 3, the Perlis Milo International Junior Tennis Championship on Dec. 4 to 8 and the Hat Yai-100 Plus International Junior Tennis Championships on Dec. 9 to 12.