Photo by Joseph S. Angan

THE BLUE Shuttlers delivered a 5-0 beating against Adamson last Saturday, August 20, at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex Badminton Hall.

Coming from back-to-back losses to NU and FEU, Coach Kennie Asuncion’s boys made sure they would get back to winning ways with a victory against a winless Adamson squad.

Toby Gadi started things off for Ateneo, delivering a quick 21-8, 21-8 victory against Adamson’s Jerome Pechera. Gadi never gave Pechera a chance, as he dominated in strength, speed and experience, boosting Ateneo to a 1-0 advantage and the momentum for the succeeding matches.

In the second singles match, Soaring Falcon Jordan Alcantara surprised Pawee Natividad with an aggressive start to take a quick 10-2 lead. Natividad however, did not lose his composure, as he delivered on-the-spot smashes and reliable returns. A 9-1 scoring run catapulted him to the lead, 12-11. The Blue Shuttler never looked back and finished the game on top, 21-14. He carried over his hot play into the next game, winning 21-15.

Moving over to the doubles division, Ateneans Justin Natividad and Paolo Sunga proved to be the better tandem in the first doubles match of the morning, beating Pechera and Zyron Cayanan handily. The Blue Shuttlers had better coverage of the court, thanks in part to Sunga’s athleticism complimented with Justin Natividad’s lefty style of play. With strong smashes from Sunga and consistent play from Natividad, the pair easily took the first game, 21-15.

Adamson retaliated with a quick 4-1 start on the second game. However, they were not able to capitalize on their blazing momentum as they were burdened with an abundance of unforced errors. Ateneo took the first doubles match with the score 21-15, 21-19. In the process, they also secured their third win of the season.

The already warmed-up Gadi took the court once again, this time paired with Raphael Alonzo, in the second doubles match of the day against Jorby Guanzon and Keith Reyes. The Ateneo pair started the match with a barrage of unforced errors. Easy push shots not clearing the net, service faults and miscommunication among the two also led to a couple of easy drives from their opponents. There was a point in the game where Adamson had escaped to a 15-8 advantage.

However, with Alonzo’s feistiness and Gadi’s experience, the Blue Shuttlers regained the lead, 19-18. The panic-struck Adamson duo did not know what how to respond to the surging attack, eventually dropping the first game in Ateneo’s favor, 22-20. Gadi and Alonzo were able to adjust to their previous mistakes and grab the second game with the score of 21-19.

Sunga capped everything off with a victory against Viloria. Losing the first game, 15-21, Sunga made sure that he would not let the following games slip by. With precise smashes and aggressive attacks to the net, the Atenean was able to dominate the second game, 21-14. Viloria’s fatigue was evident in the third game as Sunga never looked back and took advantage of his weaker opponent, winning the game 21-13.

This victory over the Falcons gives the Shuttlers a 3-2 record, closing nearer to DLSU, FEU and the first place NU Bulldogs in the standings. They next face UP, tomorrow, August 30 at 9:00 AM, at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex Badminton Hall.