THE ATENEO Blue Eagles bowed out of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 81 Men’s Badminton Tournament in a valiant team-tie effort against the University of the Philippines (UP) on October 8 at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.
UP’s JM Bernardo drew first blood with a consecutive-set match win against Ateneo’s Fides Bagasbas. The blue shuttler went up by as much six points, 18-12, late in the first set, but Bernardo came roaring back to win the set, 22-24. Bernardo never looked back and rode the momentum to a 4-21 second set rout.
Keoni Asuncion countered for Ateneo via a match victory against Michael Clemente. The former Rookie of the Year dominated throughout the first set, 21-8, but Clemente made adjustments in the second set. Every point brought out emotions from the players, particularly Asuncion, who survived several times after going down by one during the extension. In the end, an Asuncion kill and Clemente error sealed the match for Ateneo, 30-28.
Graduating Team Captain Carlo Remo joined Asuncion for the third match and they picked up a crucial match victory to give Ateneo the advantage. The experienced Ateneo duo showed their poise against Andrew Pineda and Harvey Tungul by committing minimal errors down the stretch, resulting in another tightly contested set victory. Asuncion and Remo looked settled down and more comfortable in the second set as they cruised to a 21-19, 21-14 win to take the match.
Errors plagued blue shuttlers Bagasbas and Sean Chan against Bernardo and Vinci Manuel in the fourth set. They gifted UP with a couple of points off errant serves and shots, eventually falling in consecutives sets, with both at 15-21.
It was up to Remo to keep the Blue Eagles’ season alive against Kyle Legaspi, but he came up just short in the three-set thriller. Legaspi and Remo controlled the first and second sets, respectively, 12-21 and 21-9, with each one winning with a fairly comfortable margin.
The match came down to the final set as the palpable tension and pressure was clearly felt. Both crowds were loud and supportive, as teammates Bagasbas and Chan were leading the Ateneo crowd in rooting for their Captain. They led a contingent of fans in screaming, “Kuya Carlo, one big fight!”
Early in the final set, Legaspi established a comfortable lead. He scored the first four points of the set, and raced to a 12-19 lead. However, Remo had no plans of going down quietly, as he scored the set’s next five points to narrow the gap to 17-19. An error broke his momentum, and Legaspi took advantage to take the final set, 18-21.
The disappointment in Remo’s face was visible as UP scored the clinching point in his final UAAP stint. Ateneo Head Coach Kennie Asuncion-Robles praised Remo for a job well done throughout his UAAP career. She cited his leadership as one of the things that the Blue Eagles will miss upon his departure.
The loss gives the Blue Eagles a third-place finish in the tournament, which, according to Asuncion-Robles, was their minimum goal coming into the season. However, she noted that her team prides itself on aiming for more, and that they still feel the bitter sting of disappointment that comes with losing.
Nevertheless, one thing is for sure: The blue shuttlers will fly higher next year.
Team-tie score: Ateneo 2, UP 3
Set scores:
First singles: JM Bernardo def. Fides Bagasbas, 22-24, 4-21
Second singles: Keoni Asuncion def. Michael Clemente 21-8, 30-28
First doubles: Keoni Asuncion & Carlo Remo def. Andrew Pineda & Harvey Tungul, 21-19, 21-14
Second doubles: JM Bernardo & Vinci Manuel def. Fides Bagasbas & Sean Chan, 15-21, 15-21
Third doubles: Kyle Legaspi def. Carlo Remo, 12-21, 21-9, 18-21
