THE ATENEO Men’s Lawn Tennis Team continued their hot streak after they defeated the De La Salle University (DLSU) Green Tennisters, with a team-tie score of 4-1. The match concluded the Blue Eagles’ Day 9 performance in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 81 Men’s Lawn Tennis Tournament held on Saturday, March 23 at the Colegio San Agustin-Bulacan Tennis Stadium in San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan.
Iyo Canlas started things off for the Blue and White as he faced veteran Betto Orendain in two tightly contested sets. Despite the efforts of Canlas, the Green Archer carved out a win, 7-5, 6-3, to give DLSU the early advantage.
In the second singles match, rookie Gab Tiamson squared off against DLSU’s Rey Mayo and dominated from start to finish. The Atenean left the opposition to scour for points throughout the match, eventually winning in two sets, 6-1, 6-2. His win leveled the team-tie at 1-all.
Eager to push the momentum for the Blue and White, Marcen Gonzales stepped up to face counterpart Al Francis Andrade. Gonzales cruised and delivered a near double-bagel performance, grabbing the match with a score of 6-1, 6-0.
Veteran duo Luke Flores and Erj Gatdula were then challenged by Green Archers Jona Cano and Raprap Teng in the first doubles encounter of the day. Flores and Gatdula were able to dispatch their opponents, 6-4, in a hard-fought first set. The second set went the distance as Teng and Cano’s attempted comeback eventually came up short, giving the Blue and White the second set win, 7-5.
Julian Dayrit and Bong Gonzales went up against John Angelo Cerezo and Mark Crisosto in the final match of the day to place the finishing touches on their impending win. The Ateneo duo showed their versatility and chemistry as they made quick work of their opponents, 6-1, 6-2, after a strong serve from Dayrit sealed the Blue Eagles’ sixth consecutive win in the tourney.
[2nd Doubles]
Game,set, and match! Dayrit launches a menacing second serve, leaving Crisosto unable to answer. Dayrit and Gonzales def. Cerezo and Crisosto (DLSU), 6-1, 6-2, to give Ateneo the today’s team-tie victory.
Team-tie score: Ateneo 3 DLSU 1#UAAPTennis pic.twitter.com/RNrwKWvSFm
— Gio P. Guinto (@Gio_TheGUIDON) March 23, 2019
Their next team-tie will be against the National University Bulldogs at 8:00 AM on Sunday, March 24, at the same venue.
Team-tie score: Ateneo 4 DLSU 1
Set scores:
First Singles: Orendain def. Canlas, 3-6, 5-7
Second Singles: Tiamson def. Mayo, 6-1, 6-2
Third Singles: Gonzales def. Andrade, 6-1, 6-0
First Doubles: Flores and Gatdula def. Cano and Teng, 6-4, 7-5
Second Doubles: Dayrit and Gonzales def. Cerezo and Crisosto, 6-1, 6-2
