WITH THE Blue Shuttlers coming off a perfect opening weekend, the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex Badminton Hall was buzzing for more shuttle-pounding action on the 7th of August.

ADMU vs. NU

Cheered on by the Blue Babble Battalion contingent, the Blue Shuttlers took to the floor first against a much-improved National University (NU) Bulldogs.

Philippine number one Toby Gadi made quick work of NU’s Aries Delos Santos, 21-11, 21-12. Delos Santos didn’t have the firepower to keep in toe with the country’s top shuttler. From there, however, things looked bleak for Ateneo.

Blue Shuttler Pawee Natividad took on National Team mainstay Joper Escueta in the second singles match. Escueta powered his way to a four point lead at the break, 11-7, but Natividad’s persistence—and some net cord luck—gave the Atenean the slimmest of leads at 16-15. At the end, though, the Bulldog proved to be too good, racking up six straight points to take the first game, 21-16.

With the previous game ending on a couple of questionable line calls, Natividad looked irked early on. Frustration game in and Escueta was a notch above the Blue Shuttler, as he moved the latter around for a comfortable 21-13 win.

Tied at one match apiece, Gadi and Justin Natividad looked to snatch the lead in the first doubles match of the morning against NU’s Delos Santos and Andrei Babad. Ateneo started off with spirited plays, but each one was followed by an error. At the break, Gadi and Natividad were up 11-9, and their relentless smashing helped maintain their slim lead. Gadi was brilliant in net exchanges, while Natividad caught on and finished the game at 21-16 with a deceptive, soft return off a Delos Santos serve.

Fueled by momentum, the Ateneo pair surged ahead to an 11-4 mid-game lead. Throughout the remainder of the second game, the crowd was treated to the season’s best plays yet. Natividad had a couple of highlight reel worthy plays, the first of which featured a perfect crosscourt backhand drop shot, while the second saw him diving for a net drop which caught everyone by surprise. Down 12 at 17-5, the NU pair was simply demoralized, and was finished off with body smashes, 21-11.

Hungry for revenge, Bulldogs Escueta and Sonny Montilla started off with inspired play against Paolo Sunga and Pawee Natividad in the second doubles match. Great defense by Sunga early on was not enough to deter the loss, as Escueta grabbed first blood off a backhand smash at the net, 21-16. The second game featured more NU errors, and a feistier Natividad, who played the part of shuttle-pounding demon at the net, finishing with four close range kills for an 18-13 lead. A Montilla drive to the net tied the match at one game apiece as NU lost the second, 21-15.

Early in the third game, Escueta set the tempo with an un-returnable smash to end the longest rally of the day in favor of NU, 6-5. However, the Ateneo pair fought back by sending their clears and drives to their opponents’ far right corner and edged ahead, 11-9. But Escueta would not bow down, as he kept the Bulldogs in the game with precise smashes and deceptive drives, eventually nabbing the win for NU, 21-16.

On paper, the last singles match of the morning seemed to favor Ateneo, as Justin Natividad took on the relatively unknown Babad of NU. In the winner-take-all battle of southpaws, Natividad looked to have Babad’s number early on, scoring off half smashes and drop shots to take a 6-2 lead. More of the same ensued over the next 10 minutes and the Blue Shuttler had three game points at 20-17. But that was the closest Natividad would get, as Babad’s defensive shift proved to be the winning factor. With his competitor counterpunching with clears, Natividad made a couple of bad judgment calls, and yielded, 20-22.

In the second game, Babad made some impressive kills for a 16-13 advantage. Natividad tried to regroup but the momentum against him was too great. After a soft shot hit the cord and failed to make it over the net, Natividad dropped his racket, dejected, as his opponent now had five match points at 20-15. With a flurry of smashes, the NU Bulldog eked out a gutsy 21-15 win.

Despite the 2-3 loss, the Blue Shuttlers aren’t the least bit discouraged. “Coach said this round was more of a gauge for us to know how strong we are and what we have to work on,” said Justin Natividad in Filipino.

“Next time, I have to focus on playing every point one by one,” he added.

ADMU vs. FEU

Unfortunately, the previous day’s performance carried over into the Blue Shuttlers’ bout against the FEU Tammaraws, as they lost 1-4.

Justin Natividad opened for the Blue Shuttlers against Wilfredo Amoroso, dropping the game 18-21, 17-21. Natividad kept it close in the first game, stretching Amoroso to an 18-21 score line; however, in the second game, Amoroso took a comfortable lead in the latter half of the game at 13-19.

The Atenean had been phased with unforced errors all game, but, was still able to initiate a late game offensive surge. The second ranked national Under-19 player, Natividad narrowed the gap at 17-20, gaining the point off a crosscourt drop shot. Despite Natividad’s momentum, however, Amoroso closed out the game, winning it 21-17.

The second singles draw saw Toby Gadi trounce FEU’s Kevin Dalisay, in what ended in an easy 21-10, 21-8 win for the country’s top shuttler, extending his undefeated streak in the singles and doubles categories. All game long, Dalisay could not respond to Gadi’s attack, nor could he break through his defense. In the second game, Gadi allowed Dalisay just eight points, five of which were the result of Gadi’s own unforced errors.

Sadly, the victory would signify the only win the Blue Shuttlers would be able to register against the Tamaraws, as the men in blue would go on to lose the next three matches.

For the first doubles match of the day, the Ateneo pair of Paolo Sunga and Pawee Natividad was put up against the FEU tandem of Ian Bautista and Randolph Balatbat. In a close match-up, the FEU pair barely pulled through winning against the Ateneo side 21-18, 18-21, 21-19.

Overcoming Sunga and Natividad was anything but a cakewalk; the Tamaraws capitalized on the numerous errors committed by the Ateneo pair.

The first game saw Bautista and Balatbat gain a substantial 12-6 mid-game lead, as they gained control with their accurate court placing. Sunga and Natividad had difficulties getting into the flow of the game, with many returns going wide, or hitting the net. Despite the setback, a late attack by the Blue Shuttlers got them within striking distance at 18-19. However, a blistering drive by Sunga—just going wide of the line—killed the Ateneo duo’s momentum, and the FEU pair claimed the win, 21-18.

The next game displayed a little improvement by Sunga and Natividad, eventually getting the 21-18 win. The boys in blue had difficulty covering the court and defending Bautista and Balatbat’s speedy transitions from defense to offense. Yet, Natividad was able to put the game to rest with a mid-court smash.

In the third game, the Blue Shuttlers again trailed the Tamaraws. FEU capped at a five point lead, 14-9. However, sparked by a Sunga’s behind-the-back lob, the Ateneo pair made a late comeback, tying the score at 19-19. But it just wasn’t the Blue Shuttlers’ day as Bautista and Balatbat pulled away, winning 21-19, and giving the FEU a 2-1 match lead.

In the deciding draw of the day, Gadi and Justin Natividad were ousted by Amoroso and Dalisay. The Tamaraws put on a 13-21, 21-18, 21-17 performance which gave them the 3-1 team win.

What was expected to be a sure win for the Blue Shuttlers, primarily due to Gadi’s presence, ended in upset, as not only did Gadi’s impeccable record gain its first loss, but the Blue Shuttlers’ record dropped to 2-2.

Gadi drove the pair, with his overpowering offense, past the Tamaraws, 21-13. Unfortunately, amidst a barrage of errors and difficulties finding cohesion, the Blue Shuttlers dropped the next two games, 21-18, 21-17.

Pawee Natividad concluded the day with a 18-21,15-21 loss to Kevin Cudiamat, finalizing the score at 4-1 in favor of the Morayta-based shuttlers.

Despite Ateneo’s unfavorable weekend results, Coach Kennie Assuncion emphasizes that, “With the men’s [team], it’s a matter of if, that day, they can come out to play, but we’re still in the running.”

The Blue Shuttlers will look to get back on the winning track when they face the winless Adamson Falcons at 9:00 AM, August 20, once again at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex Badminton Hall.

Team Standings: