THE ATENEO Lady Eagles lost against the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Golden Tigresses, 2-3, on day six of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Women’s Lawn Tennis Tournament held on Sunday, March 11 at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center, Manila.
Despite a scheduled finals matchup between the two teams already in place, there was still plenty to play for. UST was gunning for a eliminations sweep to gain a twice-to-beat advantage in the finals, which the Ateneo desperately wanted to spoil.
To start off the morning, Lady Eagles Alexis McLean and Katrina Hernandez made rare appearances in the singles matches where they faced Erika Manduriao and Monica Cruz respectively. McLean struggled to break through as she lost out 2-6, 3-6. Hernandez was similarly outmatched as she lost in her season debut, 1-6, 0-6.
After going down 0-2 in the team-tie, the Lady Eagles required a win out of rookie pairing Carmen So and Martina Bautista in their battle against Ebeb Caorte and Danica Bautista to have a chance at adding a blemish to UST’s record . While the Ateneo tandem dropped the first set, 4-6, they bounced back to win the second set, 6-4. The tide quickly changed against their favor in the third set. Facing a 5-1 deficit in the third set, the Ateneo pair fought valiantly but ultimately lost out, 6-3.
On the other hand, Nicole Amistad and Jana Hernandez secured a win against UST’s Ingrid Gonzales and Precian Rivera under unfortunate circumstances. Amidst a tight second set, injury struck Gonzales, forcing UST to concede the match.
Although the team-tie had already been decided at this point, Lady Eagle Khrizelle Sampaton continued play against the steady Kendies Malinis. Sampaton crafted several winners to get past Malinis in straight sets, 6-2, 6-3, to grab the consolation win.
Despite losing the team-tie, the wins of Sampaton, doubles pair Amistad and Hernandez, and So and Bautista’s narrow defeat showed a lot of promise, which give the Lady Eagles hope heading into finals.
Ateneo’s loss awarded the Espana-based side a 6-0 record in the elimination round and privileges them with a twice-to-beat advantage heading into the finals. Meanwhile, the Lady Eagles ended day 6 of the tourney at 3-3.
The Lady Eagles will begin their uphill battle with UST in the Season 80 UAAP Women’s Lawn Tennis finals on Saturday, March 17 at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center, Manila.
Team-Tie Score
Ateneo 2 UST 3
Match Scores
1st singles: Erika Manduriao (UST) def. Alexis McLean (Ateneo) 2-6, 3-6
2nd singles: Monica Cruz (UST) def. Katrina Hernandez (Ateneo) 1-6, 0-6
3rd singles: Khrizelle Sampaton (Ateneo) def. Kendies Malinis (UST) 6-2, 6-3
1st doubles: Danica Bautista and Ebeb Caorte (UST) def. Martina Bautista and Carmen So (Ateneo) 4-6, 6-4, 3-6
2nd doubles: Nicole Amistad and Jana Hernandez (Ateneo) def. Precian Rivera and Ingrid Gonzales [retired] 6-4, 1-0
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