AS GUSTS of wind howled past the tennis courts of the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex, it was clear that Mother Nature would not cooperate. Just as the festivities were drenched in rain, so too were the Blue Netters’ opening weekends. To put it simply, things could have gone better.
Blue Netters: Ho-hum
Behind head strong individual efforts from Ayo Canlas, Mark Balce and Julius Lagman, the Blue Netters overwhelmed UP in their first game of the season. Though it was smooth sailing then, the rubber against defending champions UST proved to be a tougher test of character.
Growling Tiger RK Barte made quick work of Daniel Macalino, 6-0, 6-0, as the Blue Netter fell apart during his service games. All in all, Macalino had eight double faults and connected on only 18 of 33 first serves.
In the doubles matches against the Tigers, the Blue Netters showed mixed results. The pair of Balce and Jolo Opulencia pulled off an impressive comeback after being down 5-2 in the first set. The Boys in Blue were able to take advantage of the Tigers’ own errors and won 7-6, 6-1. But the duo of Leyan Moncera and Andre Banate could not do the same feat. They lost 4-6, 4-6.
Coach Mike Mora shared his disappointment, “they didn’t play their game, they were rushing but they shouldn’t have.”
The second singles match pitted the power hitting of UST’s Kim Saraza against Lagman’s counterpunching. Unfortunately, the Atenean was broken twice in each set, en route to a 6-2, 6-2 drubbing.
Canlas was forced to contest a no-bearing, rain-delayed match against Bernan Berning, escaping with a 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 victory.
The Blue Netters next faced the DLSU Tennis Team, and regrettably ended up on the wrong end of a similar score line.
Though it counted as a loss on the rankings, the rivalry matchup proved to be a classic. After Mark Trinos was double-bageled into submission, a hard-fought doubles win by Leyan Moncera and Banate, coupled with a three set triumph by Lagman, brought the Blue and White within one game of sealing the victory.
A 2-6, 6-1, 4-6 loss in the second doubles then set up the scene for a winner-take-all singles clash between veteran Ayo Canlas and La Salle’s Michael Basco. After some lengthy exchanges and flashes of all-court brilliance from both, the Blue Netter eventually fell 2-6, 6-4, 2-6, which ultimately brought the team further down the standings.
Using their two-game skid as motivation, Team Ateneo subsequently crushed a bewildered UE squad 4-1. The Ateneans outclassed their opposition, as only one match among the five didn’t feature a 6-0 set in their favor.
Ending the first round of the season at third with a 2-2 slate isn’t so bad considering all the mishaps and correctable lapses in concentration. The Blue Netters got extremely close to defeating UST and DLSU, and it certainly won’t be a surprise to see them win the match-ups ups when the second round kicks off.
Lady Netters: An uphill battle
The Lady Netters started their UAAP stint with two painful losses to UST and school rivals DLSU. The Ladies in Blue were unable to close out their opponents, losing in a near margin of 3-2 in both matches.
With much-needed help from their veterans, number one ranked player in the country Michelle Pang breezed through her first two matches in the tournament by winning 6-1, 6-1 against UST and 6-0, 6-0 against DLSU. Senior netter Ivy de Castro, on the other hand, started her season strong with a straight set victory in the singles, 6-2, 6-0 against UST. De Castro also came up with a three-set win 2-6, 6-4, 5-7 partnering up with Joan Opulencia against the Lady Archers.
Despite the leadership of their more experienced players, the team found it difficult to capitalize on early leads and close games. The pair of Joan Opulencia and Marygrace Rivero lost a nail-biting match 2-6, 6-4, 5-7 against the Tigresses. Meanwhile, the rest of the team struggled, with five of their losses ending in straight-sets.
Nevertheless, the Lady Netters remain optimistic for their next match-ups. In fact, they are still aiming for a spot in the finals. “It’s a fight,” Pang shared, “It’s gonna be an uphill battle and we haven’t lost hope.” The Lady Netters will end the first round against Katipunan Rivals, UP.
