GONE were the days of playing just behind the shadows of Cagayan de Oros’s top female netters such as Janelle Carmela Llavore and Gennifer Lysandra Pagente.
Proving that she’s already ripe for the picking, Mary Aubrey Calma made a breakthrough in the 6th Oro Juniors Tennis Championships held in the city recently at the Nazareth Lawn Tennis Club in Barangay Nazareth.
A quantum leap from her not so impressive start in the age-group level, the Corpus Christi standout Calma emerged as double winner in singles competitions of the annually-slated fiesta tourney presented by Technosport Inc (Babolat Philippines) last August 26-30 with Babolat Championship as the official ball.
“She’s finally into it. Mary Aubrey had been winning lately in the Mindanao Series of the Cebuana Lhuillier netfest. And now duha gyod ka big fishes from other places iyang gi-conquer sa Oro Juniors,” said tournament director in ITF-licensed referee, Mario Inguito Craiz.
Calma worked hard before defeating Elizabeth Abarquez of Carcar City, Cebu, 6-2, 1-6, 10-4 for the 16-under girls crown. She also needed a deciding third set before overcoming Rachel Patricia Velez of Davao City, 6-2, 4-6, 10-1 in the 18-under girls final.
“If I’m not mistaken, mora’g first time pa lang gyod nga nag double-whammy si Calma sa age-group tourney. What’s certain, however, is Aubrey being regarded now by local tennis fans as a sensation,” one Oro Juniors follower told Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro.
Two more local bets sparkled in the Group 2 event that attracted a total of 129 entries.
Casey Padilla bested Kristin Guia Margarrette Bandolis of Tubod, Lanao del Norte, 6-4, 7-5 to pocket the 12-under girls title. While Matt Steve Palasan, the prodigious son of SunStar columnist lawyer Tibs Palasan, whipped John Renest Sonsona of Tubod, Lanao del Norte, 6-3, 6-2 to lord it over in the premier 18-under boys final.
This, as John David Velez of Davao City duplicated Calma’s feat by winning the 12-under boys plum (6-2, 6-0 over Renzo Jay Macalos of Tandag City, Surigao del Sur) and the 14-under boys diadem at the expense of Richard Bautista of Maranding, Lanao del Norte.
Other winners were Heinz Aslan Carbonilla of Maranding, Janus Al-Najeeb Ringia of Koronadal City and Sydney Ezra Enriquez of Salug, Zamboanga del Norte.
Carbonilla whitewashed his Lanao compatriot from Tubod, Kurt Gervan Bandolis, 4-1, 4-1 for the unisex 10-under title, Ringia subdued home boy Jonelle Christian Llavore,6-0, 7-5 to bring home the 16-under boys crown, and Enriquez took the measure of CdeO girl Padilla, 6-1, 6-1 in the 14-under girls final.