THE ATENEO blue shuttlers are into the finals round after defeating the the University of the Philippines (UP) by a score of 3-2 in the University Athletics Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 79 badminton tournament on Sunday, October 9, 2016 at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex in Manila.
To get the ball rolling for today’s crucial semifinal team-tie, Blue Eagle Emilio Mangubat squared off against UP’s Leonardo in the first singles game of the day. The first set saw an aggresive Mangubat, as he raced on to an early lead to eventually win the game at (21-19). The second set however, proved to be different as both players exchanged points until the 20-point mark. UP smashed first to gain the advantage, but three consecutive points from Mangubat eventually saw the first game fall in Ateneo’s favor (23-21).
Succeeding Mangubat for the second singles game of the team-tie was veteran Clarence Filart, as he found himself squaring off in a rematch against UP’s Bernardo. The first set saw Filart failing to stand his ground, as he trailed over the course of the set before eventually losing to the score of (21-9). The second set saw a much more composed Filart, as he found himself neck-and-neck with Bernardo up until the 14-point mark. However, a 5-0 UP run along with some unforced errors from Ateneo, saw the second game fall into the hands of UP (21-16).
With the team-tie now tied at 1-1, the Ateneo tandem of Hanz Bernardo and Emilio Mangubat stepped up to take on UP’s tandem of Deato and Manuel. Both sets saw both tandems trading points up until the interval. However, some aggressive style of play from Mangubat aided the Blue and White, as Ateneo went on to win both sets by the score of 21-18.
With only one game away from securing a finals ticket for the Blue and White, the Ateneo tandem of Carlo Remo and Patrick Gecosala aimed to wrap up the series in their doubles match against UP’s tandem of Pineda and Malelang. The Ateneo tandem got off to a rocky start as they quickly found themselves on the receiving end of a 4-0 UP run. The tandem eventually entered the interval trailing by seven points (11-4), before eventually going on to lose the set by the score of 16-21. The second set once again opened with the Ateneo tandem on receiving end of a UP run, however, the tandem quickly found their ground as they went neck-and-neck with UP before ultimately losing the set and game to the score of 21-18.
With the team-tie now level at 2-2, the singles game between Ateneo’s Hanz Bernardo and UP’s Lopez was to act as the decider for the crucial team-tie. Bernardo raced on to an early 4-0 lead before entering the inteval with a five-point cushion (11-6). Some smashes and lobs from Bernardo would eventually see the first set fall in Ateneo’s favor (21-15). The second set began in similar fashion to the first, with Bernardo once again entering the interval with a five-point lead (11-6). Bernardo would not look back as he eventually went on to win the team-tie at 21-12.
After the match, doubles player Patrick Gecosala was visibly emotional after the team’s 3-2 victory. “This feels super new to me, cause for two years straight, lagi kaming bronze actually. Sobrang sarap [ng] feeling kasi this season, galing kami from top 5 to top 4 to top 3 and now top 2 (It feels great because this season, we came from top 5 to top 4 to top 3 and now top 2),” said Gecosala.
He also added that he would rate the overall performance of the team as 11/10. “11/10 talaga. The team showed all heart,” adds Gecosala.
This win finds Ateneo going head-to-head against the undefeated defending champions National University (NU), in a best of three finals series. The Ateneo blue shuttlers will square off against NU this Wednesday, October 12,2016, at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex in Manila.
