MARY Nathalie Cobarde celebrated ahead of the other finalists after she grabbed the 12 Under Girls title of the 18th Gullas Tennis Cup yesterday at the Cebu International Tennis Centre Inc. in barangay Laray, Consolacion.
All finals matches were supposed to be played today but organizers decided to hold the 12 Under Girls finals yesterday since Cobarde and her opponent Cristella Sampan were around and there was an available court.
Cobarde had to work hard to earn a 7-6, 6-4 victory over Sampan and bring home the title.
In the semifinals, Cobarde posted an easy win over Tamara Suquib, 6-1, 6-0, while Sampan also had a walk in the park with a 6-1, 6-1 dumping of Pherl Bless Coderos.
Sally Mae Siso also bagged the 21 Under title earlier after her finals opponent Keziah Jabines failed to show up due to personal concerns.
In today’s finals, Bright Academy netters Jana Pages and Zethley Mae Alferez have a chance to bag two titles.
Pages clinched a finals ticket in the 18 Under Girls with her 6-1, 6-1 routing of Mary Claire Lazaga. She will go up against Elgy Dasian, who earlier ended the campaign of Keziah Jabines.
Alferez will be vying for the 14 Under Girls title against Shyne Villareal. While Alferez earned her finals ticket via a 6-2, 6-1 dumping of Kristin Renee Salimbangon in the semifinals, Villareal got to the final battle via a 6-3, 6-2 outsmarting of Beverly Olive Enriquez.
Pages and Alferez will go up against each other for the 16 Under Girls title. Both girls advanced by demolishing their semifinals opponents with Pages silencing Cherry Mae Toledo, 6-1, 6-0, and Alferez frustrating Villareal, 6-1, 6-2.
In the boys division, Marc Norman Enriquez and Joshua Kinaadman are also looking to bring home two titles.
Enriquez upset Amiel Aya-ay, 7-6, 6-4, in the semifinals of the 21 Under Boys and will be contesting the title against Jeffrie Jumawan, who squeaked past Jessie Daniel Villarin, 6-3, 7-5, in the other semifinal match.
Kinaadman, on the other hand, can bring home the 16 Under Boys title should he be able to get past Christopher Encarnacion.
Kinaadman and Enriquez will then face each other for the 18 Under Boys title. Kinaadman arranged a finals date with Enriquez when he outwitted Jarryd Laurel, 6-3, 6-2, in the semifinals while Enriquez scored another upset, this time against Ralp Juliane, 6-0, 6-2.
Gener Francis Lambayan is vying for his second consecutive 14 Under Boys title as he goes up against Clyde Dujali.
Lambayan barged into the final round by defeating Nathaniel Alipe, 6-2, 6-1, in the semifinals and dumping anew Rey Dante Toledo, 6-0, 6-4, in the quarterfinals.
Another male netter who can grab two titles is Cesar Kristopher Salimbangon.
Salimbangon will be contesting the 12 Under Boys title against Jace Unto and the 10 Under Unisex title against Gabriel Trazo.
In the 12 Under Boys, Salimbangon grabbed a finals ticket via a 7-6, 6-4 survival of Ashton Villanueva. In the 10 Under Unisex, he dismissed Sampan, 6-3, 6-1.. /CORRESPONDENT MARS G. ALISON