COMING OFF a win against their Katipunan rivals from the University of the Philippines (UP), the Ateneo Blue Eagles went head to head with the University of the East (UE) Red Warriors in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Lawn Tennis tournament on Wednesday, March 8 at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Courts. The second-round duel between the two schools saw UE dominate the clay as the Blue Eagles went down valiantly at a 4-1 scoreline.
Veteran Ino Canlas faced rookie AJ Lim in the first singles match but dropped two sets at (6-2, 6-0), giving the first match to the Red Warriors. The second singles match pitted Ateneo’s AJ Rivero against UE’s Kinaadman, with the Blue Eagles failing to secure the match after Rivero fell in two sets at (6-2, 6-0).
The Blue Eagles fared better in the first doubles match, which saw rookie Julian Dayrit pair up with Anton Punzalan against the UE duo of Baran and Barquin. The chemistry of the Ateneo tandem was apparent throughout the first set of the first men’s doubles, as Dayrit and Punzalan put up a fight to the finish but ultimately dropped the first set at (7-6). The Blue Eagles eventually dropped the second set of the first men’s doubles at (6-1), giving the third match and ultimately the win to the Red Warriors.
Erj Gatdula and Luke Flores teamed up for the second doubles match but lost out to UE’s Estaño and Saga, dropping two sets at (6-1, 6-1). Marcen Gonzales gave the Blue Eagles their lone win of the day, dominating the third singles match against UE’s Delos Santos to take two sets at (6-2, 6-0) for a final scoreline of 4-1.
The loss puts the Blue Eagles at a 3-5 win-loss record as the team heads into their next match on Saturday, March 11 against the University of Sto. Tomas.
Match scores (Ateneo – UE)
First singles: (1-6, 3-6)
Second singles: (2-6, 0-6)
First doubles: (6-7, 1-6)
Second doubles: (1-6, 1-6)
First singles: (6-2, 6-0)
The second-round duel between the University of the East (UE) and the Blue and White saw UE dominate the clay, as the Blue Eagles went down valiantly at a 4-1 scoreline.
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