ONE WEEK into their UAAP campaign and the Blue Shuttlers have shown no sign of slowing down. The Katipunan-based squad edged past their green rivals on August 28 at the Rizal Sports Complex Badminton Hall to continue what has been an ideal start to the season.
It was a day of mixed fortunes for the men in Blue as they found themselves exchanging between court-pounding smashes and error-prone lapses. One look at head coach Kennie Asuncion’s face and one could tell some things weren’t going according to plan. Nevertheless, Toby Gadi and Pawee Natividad powered the team to their closest victory yet.
The inaugural match of the morning featured Natividad in a dogfight against La Salle’s JC Clarito. It was to be somewhat of a disappointing match for a rivalry of this magnitude, being the only suspense-filled match of the day. Natividad squeaked past in straight sets. With both competitors playing to each other’s weaknesses, the 21-19, 21-17 scoreline, did not do justice to the tension on court. In the end, Clarito’s inconsistent backhand defense succumbed to Natividad’s powerful smashes.
Next up was former national team stalwart Toby Gadi, who was pitted against Jose Martinez. Living up to form, Gadi overwhelmed his opponent with a masterful 21-4, 21-9 bashing. It was a long match for Martinez as the Blue Shuttler displayed his all-around attacking game. Gadi scored on 12 smashes and forced 19 errors off his adversary.
Team captain Paolo Sunga and Justin Natividad fell to DLSU combo Chan and Estanislao in the third rubber. The first set featured a dismal run of six straight errors for the Ateneo which eventually proved to be their undoing. The La Salle pair walked away with a relatively comfortable win, 21-13, 21-14 after taking advantage of Ateneo’s numerous mistakes.
In the fourth bout of the morning, Gadi and Pawee Natividad exacted revenge by sweeping aside Martinez and Ivan Angsico 21-12, 21-14. Defense was the key in this match, ultimately propelling Ateneo to 3-0 in the standings.
Though the final match had no bearing on the result, losing to La Salle is always a bitter pill to swallow. Paolo Sunga yielded to Estanislao in the final singles match as the Green Archer’s drop shots and crafty net play caught the Ateneo captain off-guard. Estanislao won in straight sets, 21-12, 21-15.
The Blue Shuttlers will be gunning for a four game win streak when they face NU on August 29 at the Rizal Memorial Badminton Hall.
