Pages into girls 18 semis of JRG Gullas Tennis Cup

CEBU, Philippines - Rising Cebuana tennis star Jana Pages is not feeling very well, but she still looked superb in a masterful two-set demolition of Marian Andre Danica Toledo in the girls 18 quarterfinals of the 19th JRG Gullas Tennis Cup yesterday at the Alta Vista Golf and Country Club in Barangay Pardo, Cebu City.

JRG stands for Jose Rivera "Dodong" Gullas, the man behind the third longest-existing junior tennis tournament in the country.

Pages rammed her way to a merciless 6-0, 6-0 beating of Toledo to move one step away from a shot at retaining her girls 18-crown. She also topped the girls 16 age group last year, but begged off from defending her title as she just recovered from fever.

In the girls 14 division, Zethley Mae Alferez barged into the quarterfinal round after terminating Edhel Parangan,7-5, 6-3. Alfrez also has a quarterfinal assignment in the girls 16 along with Nikki Ong, Edhel Parangan, Kara Salimbangon, Lorraine Barola, Angela Cabaral, Elizabeth Abarquez, and Shyne Villareal.

Over at the CitiGreen Tennis Resort in Brgy. Punta Princesa, Cebuano players Arthur Craig “Iggy” Pantino and Christopher Encarnacion as well as Jay-R Arguelles of Bacolod City.

Arguelles bounced back from a frustrating defeat to Marc Pradel in the boys 16 class the other day and vented his ire on Peter Cantillas 6-1, 6-4.

Encarnacion toppled Mike Bienes, 6-0, 7-6, while Pantino sent off Norman Enriquez, 7-5, 6-3.

Francis Lambayan, on the other hand, rached the boys 16 quarterfinal stage after outsmarting fellow Cebuano Jermaine Laurel in a super-tie break, 7-5, 4-6, 10-3. Encarnacion also showed might over Enriquez, 6-1, 6-2 to join Lambayan into the next round.

     Pantino also had a great time following an easy 6-0, 6-0 win against Jowel Grospe, while Marc Ramiro escaped past the equally-tough Derek Tabotabo,6-2, 1-6, 11-9.

In the boys 14, Marc Suson posted an easy 6-1, 6-1 victory against Earl Maxilum to book a spot into the last eight in the same way with Kurt Molina and Janus Ringgia. Molina advanced following a hard-earned 4-6,6-4,10-7 win against Joshua Torres while Ringgia kept his title hopes alive after thrashing Venz Alforque, 6-0, 6-2.

In the unisex 10-under, Cesar Kristofer Salimbangon progressed into the quarterfinal round together with Jan Nathan Pena, Tifanny Nocos, Brent Cortes, Ashton Villanueva, Harland Hogan, James Ethan Quino, and Rupert Tortal.  (FREEMAN)