GULLAS CUP: Breeding ground of tennis champs

CEBU, Philippines - 'Most sought-after tennis tournament in Vis-Min to unveil new name today'

The Gullas Tennis Cup will bear a new name and it will be formally unveiled during the launching of the event's 19th edition scheduled at 1:30 p.m. today at the Inday Pining Teatro 2 of the University of the Visayas.

Jose "Dodong" R. Gullas, the man behind the longest-existing and best-run tennis competition outside of Manila, is a champion basketball player, coach and team manager, but he opted to plant the seed of a genuine grassroots development program for tennis that has now blossomed into one of the most-recognized events in Philippine tennis calendar.

"One might wonder why, 19 years ago, I started a developmental sports tournament for tennis and not basketball. The very reason for that is simple - tennis is one sport that doesn't require height. If you just have the skills, you have a very bright chance to excel even on the international stage," said Gullas.

True enough, the Gullas Cup has earned a lofty reputation as a breeding ground of Cebuano tennis champions and racquet-wielders of world-class pedigree since its inception nearly two decades ago.

Walking down memory lane, sportsman John Owen Z. Pages, one of the primovers of the Gullas Cup, fondly narrated the humble beginnings of what is now the most sought-after junior tennis tournament in the Visayas and Mindanao.

"It all started at the clay courts of the Cebu Country Club. A regular tennis player, Dodong Gullas would often play doubles with his brother, Congressman Eddie. One afternoon in early 1995, we talked at the CCC. I distinctly recalled that he asked me, 'what can we do to help youth tennis?.' I quickly replied that we should organize a tournament for kids and that was it," said Pages, himself a devout tennis patron who once served as president of the Sportswriters Association of Cebu.

After they put all details in place, Pages said they booked a week-long date during summer and Dodong Gullas, the action man he is, eventually announced to the Cebuano community the launching of this major sporting endeavor.

"Tennis is a sport that’s close to Mr. Gullas because he personally swung forehands and smashed volleys. He played the game for many, many years. His son Johnvic is also a tennis buff - and has been present since the very first serve of the Gullas Cup," said Pages.

Today, the Gullas Cup has garnered a Group 2 ranking in the Philippine Tennis Association. It enables young aspiring netters from the Vis-Min region to earn points needed for their individual rankings without having to travel to Manila.

Above all, the Gullas Cup has minted top-caliber players who have made their marks in competitions here and abroad.

"Through the years, the Gullas Cup has cultivated dozens of national champions – all of whom have been winners at the Gullas Cup. Names like Jacob Lagman, Fitzgerald Tabura, Sally Mae Siso, Oswaldo Dumoran, and even Francis Casey “Niño” Alcantara - the 2009 Australian Open junior doubles champion – have, in their storied careers, all been called “Gullas Cup champions,” said Pages."In collegiate tennis, the UV squad also boasts of the strongest players in the region. Led by coach Fritz Tabura, they’ve been multiple CESAFI (Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation, Inc.) champions – and national collegiate winners."

For what Gullas has done and contributed to Cebu sports, Pages aptly summed it up all. "For in life as in tennis, Dodong Gullas lives by these words:“He who serves best, wins.” (FREEMAN)