| Bacolod City, Philippines | Thursday, March 8, 2007 |
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World Cup stint
BY CEDLEF TUPAS
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The call to see action for flag and country was just too hard to resist for Martina Guba that she's skipping a tournament very close to her heart. Guba, the reigning regional Palaro secondary girls' singles champion, will miss the 2007 Palarong Pambansa in Koronadal, South Cotabato because she will be in India for the World Junior Cup tournament slated from April 21-28. The national Palaro will be held from April 22-29. "I regret that I won't be playing in the Palaro, which is very close to my heart. I have been competing in the Palaro since the past five to six years. But I know joining the India tournament will be a big help in my career and boost my chances of achieving my goal of making it to the 2009 Southeast Asian Games," Guba said in Ilonggo. The standout from La Carlota City told the DAILY STAR that she will vie for slots in a tournament in Europe when she competes in both the 14-Under and 16-Under events of the world tournament in India. Guba ruled a tough qualifying event in Manila to gain a slot in India. Guba advanced at the expense of the country's top junior players that included long-time nemesis Regina Santiago and Sally Siso at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex courts. The 13-year-old student of Doņa Hortensia Salas Benedicto National High School earlier breeze past JV Custodio, 6-0, 6-1, before dominating Siso, 6-0, 6-2. Guba also overwhelmed Santiago, 6-2, 6-3. She capped her domination with a 6-0, 6-2, win over former tormentor Shanine Olivarez. Guba said she considers her victories against Santiago and Siso as memorable. Guba retired because of blisters when she faced Santiago in the Andrada Cup in January. A flu-stricken Guba also yielded to Siso two previous meetings both held in Malaysia two years ago. Guba, whose campaign was supported by the Negros Occidental Sports Foundation, Negros Occidental Tennis Association and the Negros Tennis Association, also grabbed the third spot in the RP Team to the Federation Cup set in Malaysia in May. She trounced Santiago anew, 6-1, 6-3, before losing to Jesi Agra, 1-6, 2-6 and veteran Bambi Zoleta, 4-6, 2-6. Guba bounced back against Sarah Lim, winning 6-0, 6-4 to claim a place in the national squad. *CPT |
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