THE ATENEO Men’s Tennis team fell to the University of the East (UE) at a score of 3-1, on Sunday, February 18 at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Courts in Taft, Manila. The season opened with Vernon Huibonhoa serving to UE counterpart, AJ Lim, in the first singles match. Lim, who is an internationally ranked player, showed his experience by beating Huibonhoa in two straight sets, then effectively changing speeds to lead a very precise attack that resulted in a (6-0, 6-0) finish.
Returning veteran Marcen Gonzales battled UE’s Charles Kinaadman in the second singles match. All three sets in the match featured long rallies and an exchange of hard shots. In the end, Marcen was able to come out on top to earn Ateneo’s only win of the day at (6-4, 4-6, 6-4).
Blue Eagles Luke Flores and Erj Gatdula faced RJ Saga and Rogelio Estaño in the first doubles match of the game. They started out strong, winning the first set after trailing the majority of the time. Although the Ateneo pair’s communication and coordination improved as the game went along, Estaño and Saga managed to execute their hits and elude the Katipunan duo’s defense, taking the second set to regain the momentum. The third set started out with an early service break by Flores and Gatdula to go ahead 2-0, but UE did not let up in their attacks, remaining relentless to take the third set and the match at (7-5, 3-6, 5-7).
Much like the first doubles duo, rookie Julian Dayrit and his doubles partner Anton Punzalan drew first blood with a 6-4 first set against UE’s June Paolo Baran and Jeric Delos Santos. Though some miscues and unforced errors allowed UE to win the second set, Dayrit and Punzalan responded with an onslaught on the offensive. The pair continued playing solid defense and seemed to gain momentum in the final set, but some unforced errors allowed UE to put points on the board and come away with the match at (6-4, 4-6, 3-6).
Team Captain Ino Canlas faced Rodolfo Barquin in the third singles match, which was cut short by inclement weather. As of now Canlas has a one set advantage with the score of 6-4. The match will be continued on another date to be determined.
Despite the postponed match, UE will still come away with the win with an overall score of 3-1 as of the moment, handing the Blue Eagles their first loss of the season. The next game of the Blue Eagles will be against De La Salle on Sunday, February 19, at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Courts.
