Photo by Joseph S. Angan

The Ateneo Blue Shuttlers entered Sunday’s do-or-die showdown with one foot already in the finals door; but on September 11, at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex Badminton Hall, they made sure that both feet would make it through.

Eager to slam the door shut on DLSU’s championship aspirations and to gain an early 1-0 match advantage, Coach Kennie Asuncion went to her go-to-guy: Toby Gadi.

Gadi erased any indications of an upset from DLSU’s JC Clarito by demoralizing his opponent in the first game of their singles match. After racing to an 11-3 lead at the halfway mark, Gadi prevented Clarito from scoring again by going on a 10-0 run to seal the first game victory.

Clarito didn’t stand a chance despite recording the first two points of the second game. After trailing 3-4 early on, Gadi stepped on the gas pedal and never looked back. He seized the match with a 21-11 triumph to give Coach Kennie the early cushion she was looking for.

Although Gadi’s demolition job was demoralizing for the green side, the second singles match provided the crucial blow that the Ateneans were looking for. Blue Shuttler Pawee Natividad chose the right time to turn in what others deemed as his best performance of the season. Natividad was pitted against DLSU’s Ronel Estanislao, arguably the best player from the opponent’s corner in the second singles match of the tie.

No player seemed to be in control throughout the first game, but Natividad showed that he wanted the match more, as his full court hustle prevented DLSU from scoring easy points. Trailing 19-20 towards the end, Estanislao made a crucial mistake believing that the shuttle would go out of bounds. With the error, Natividad escaped with the 21-19 first game win.

The Blue Shuttler’s momentum carried on to the second game, as he went on to the half game break with an 11-5 lead. The elder Natividad then unleashed his offensive arsenal, connecting on several powerful smashes to help keep his opponent at bay. Estanislao went on one last push to close the gap to three at 20-17, but Natividad ended all hopes of a comeback by scoring on match point on the succeeding possession.

With a second consecutive finals appearance almost in their grasp, team captain Gadi and Justin Natividad were going for the kill against Estanislao and Mej Martinez of La Salle. The tandem from Taft, however, were not going to bow down that easy.

The Blue Shuttlers were plagued by errors and miscommunication early on. Martinez and Estanislao took advantage of the opportunity and held an 18-11 lead in the game’s late stages. With their opponents in total control, Gadi and Natividad reminded everyone that it isn’t about how you start a game, but how you finish it. Fueled by their perseverance, the Ateneo tandem tied the game at 19-all before eventually completing an 11-2 run to secure the crucial come from behind win, 22-20.

Desperate to extend their season, the La Salle duo bounced back and posted a commanding 21-9 victory to tie the doubles match at 1-all. That game however, would prove to be DLSU’s solitary win of the morning.

Gadi and Natividad came out on top after yet another close decision in the third and final game. The game was neck and neck throughout. With Ateneo ahead by three, La Salle went on a 5-nothing run to take a 19-17 lead. The run seemed to turn the tables and was punctuated with an Estanislao drive that hit Justin Natividad straight in the face.

The Shuttlers responded well under pressure as they tied the game at 19 to end La Salle’s run. Another crucial mistake by Estanislao, this time on service, was costly for the top seeded Archers as they surrendered the lead. Frustration clearly got the best of the La Salle duo in the end, as Gadi and Natividad delivered the knockout blow that ended their archrivals season, 21-19 in the third.

The win ignited the blue side to explode in the stands, as the Blue Shuttlers celebrated the glorious moment on the court with Gadi lying down in jubilation as the rest of his teammates ran towards the center of the court to celebrate the victory.

Today’s 3-0 shutout victory will send the Blue Shuttlers back to the UAAP Men’s Badminton finals for the ultimate showdown of the season against National University. After coming up short the last three of years, Gadi and Co. will seek to finally end their season with a win on Tuesday, September 20, 9:00 AM at the Rizal Memorial Complex Badminton Hall.