THE ATENEO Blue and Lady Eagles participated in the Asian University Invitational Tennis Tournament held from October 7 to October 9 at the Perlis Tennis Sports Complex in Kangar, Perlis, Malaysia.

Blue Eagles Ino Canlas and Erj Gatdula made it to the semifinals of the singles division. In the doubles division, Gatdula was paired with Luke Flores as the duo reached the finals of the tournament.

Meanwhile, Lady Eagles Jana Hernandez and Khrizelle Sampaton set themselves for a semifinals matchup in the women’s singles division while rookie Nicole Amistad likewise reached the semifinals of the same event. Meanwhile, Hernandez and Amistad would pair up in the women’s doubles where they scheduled a finals bout against fellow Lady Eagles Sampaton and Rocio Climent.

Due to inclement weather, however, the semifinals and finals matches scheduled on the last day were cancelled and it was decided by the officials that the finalists of the men’s and women’s doubles would be declared co-champions while the semifinalists of the singles matches would also be deemed co-champions.

While the Blue and Lady Eagles technically came home as champions, Coach Gee Abacan rues a missed opportunity to train the players’ mental and physical strength in matches with higher stakes. Nevertheless, it was still a learning experience for the team as they were pushed to their physical limits—playing in both singles and doubles matches on the same day under the scorching Malaysian heat.

Despite a rather anti-climactic finish to the tournament, Coach Abacan was happy with what the experience brought to the team. “I’m really proud of what they have achieved in this tournament,” he said. “They put so much sacrifice and they gave it their all.”