THE ATENEO blue shuttlers were defeated by their University of Santo Tomas (UST) counterparts, 3-2, in the University of Athletics Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 79 Badminton tournament on Saturday, October 1, 2016 at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex in Manila.
The Blue Eagles got off to a good start, winning the first two games of the team-tie before ultimately falling short in the next three games, one of them being arguably the most action-packed of the blue shuttlers’ season.
To get the ball rolling for the team-tie, Ateneo’s Emilio Mangubat squared off against UST’s Sotea. The first set saw Mangubat get off to a smashing start, as he made a 3-0 run before eventually winning the set by a score of 21-11. The second set however, was different for Mangubat as he found himself on the receiving end of a 3-0 UST run. Mangubat soon regained momentum as he entered the interval with a two point cushion for the blue shuttlers. Mangubat then proceeded to end the set and game at 21-15, courtesy of numerous net errors on UST’s part.
Succeeding Mangubat for the second singles game of the team-tie was veteran Clarence Filart, as he went head-to-head with UST’s Sanchez. UST got off to a strong start, going on a 5-0 run to lead Ateneo (9-4) before eventually entering the interval with a three-point lead. Filart however, turned to a more aggressive style of play to force numerous UST net errors and eventually, the 21-16 set victory for Ateneo. The second set was an affair of alternating points, with Filart and Sanchez exchanging points up until the seven-point mark. Filart however, took advantage of a visibly fatigued Sanchez to take the set and game by a score of 21-14.
The Ateneo tandem of Hanz Bernardo and Emilio Mangubat looked to close out the team-tie for the Blue Eagles as they squared off in the first doubles game of the day. The initial stages of the set saw Ateneo and UST exchanging points up until the interval, where UST led Ateneo by a score of 11-10. However, smashes from Mangubat, along with silky behind-the-back returns from Bernardo, saw Ateneo take the first set by a score of 21-17. The second set opened in similar fashion to that of the first, with both teams alternately exchanging points. It would be UST however, who would prove to be the hungrier of the two as they forced a third set by beating Ateneo in the second set of this doubles game (21-12). The third set like those before it, was an affair of alternating conversions. However, a late run from UST gifted them the win with the third set victory (21-17).
Following next was the second doubles game of the day between the Ateneo tandem of Carlo Remo and Fides Bagasbas and UST’s Barrios and Sotea. UST got off to a dominating start, scoring three quick fire points to take the lead and eventually, win the game at 21-17. The second set saw an improved performance from the Ateneo tandem as they exchanged points alternately with their UST counterparts. The performance however, was not enough as they fell short to a score of 21-19 in UST’s favor.
With the team-tie score tied at 2-2, doubles player Hanz Bernardo rose to the plate as he took on UST’s Pantig in a round-deciding game. Like all games that preceded it, it was a game of back-and-forth points with neither player refusing to give ground. However, the perseverance and wittiness of Bernardo saw him through as he took the first set (21-18). Bernardo, who played in a doubles match earlier in the day lost in the second set to force a final decider-set (21-11). The set proved to be a totally different story as both Bernardo and his opponent engaged each other in arguably the most action-packed set of the shuttlers’ season. Bernardo and his UST counterpart found themselves trading returns and points up until the end with Bernardo eventually losing courtesy of a net return by the score of 28-26 in UST’s favor.
The Blue Eagles were visibly distraught following today’s result, as the loss found them unsure of a spot in the final four as De La Salle University (DLSU) and UST also hold 4-3 win-loss records. Thus, the three teams have to fight for the two spots left by National University (NU) and the University of the Philippines (UP).
The Blue Eagles face a rematch against UST tomorrow, 8AM, at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex in Manila. The match will decide the holder of the 4th place position, who will then advance to the final four of UAAP Season 79.
