WITH UNIVERSITY Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Badminton finally back for the long haul, the Blue Eagles came out of their long break firing on all cylinders. Sporting a revamped roster with several new faces, Ateneo quickly went to work, outclassing the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Growling Tigers via a 5-0 sweep on Wednesday, September 18, at the Centro Atletico Badminton Hall, Quezon City. 

Ateneo started hot from the get-go, with freshman Arthur Salvado dominating UST’s Jerone Belong in the first set, 21-10. The match was just as one-sided in the ensuing set. Salvado once again bested Belong 21-11 to give Ateneo their first singles match victory. 

Newly-minted team captain Keoni Asuncion looked sharp in his first match of the season, handling late-game rallies from UST’s Lanz Adrian Ramirez to get past him in three sets. The first set saw Asuncion make quick work of Ramirez, ending the set with a powerful kill down the middle to take the lead, 21-13. 

Ramirez would come back harder in the second set, forcing costly errors throughout the match and eventually evening out the score after two consecutive out of bounds errors by Asuncion at match point.

The third set saw Ramirez keep Asuncion at arm’s length after the break at 16-13. However, a calculated four-point streak allowed Asuncion to catch up. Another decisive run from Asuncion blanked Ramirez, leading to a 21-16 victory in the third set for Ateneo. 

Fides Bagasbas and Jeno Cariño took to the court for the Blue Eagles in the first doubles match of the day against UST’s Henry and Henric Peralta. In the first set, two late-game errors from the tandem proved quite costly, with the Peralta brothers snatching the first set, 19-21. The Ateneo duo showed poise in their second set, running out to a comfortable nine-point lead after the break despite long rallies from the Peraltas. A smooth net kill from Bagasbas clinched the set.

After a solid 21-11 victory in the second set, Bagasbas and  worked to turn back a final stand from the Peralta brothers. With most of the set spent in a stalemate, Bagasbas and Carino led a five-point rally late in the set to steal the victory, 21-16. This win sealed the day’s victory for Ateneo, with the team-tie standing at 3-0.

Asuncion returned to court right after, this time alongside rookie Jacinto Maliwat, to battle UST’s Russel Enriquez and Josh Defensor. The Ateneo duo started out slow, losing the first set to UST, 17-21. They retaliated in the 2nd set, earning an early 6-2 lead, and forced a third set through a 21-15 win. Asuncion and Maliwat finished off the UST pair in the hotly-contested set and pulled away in the second half, winning 21-15.

Rookie Bryan Bernardo finally capped off a victorious outing for the Blue Shuttlers with a sharp performance of his own, downing UST’s Sean Dela Cruz in two sets, 21-15 and 21-18. Dela Cruz nearly forced a third set, but he committed a net error that allowed Bernardo to walk away with the victory.

Coach Kennie Robles-Asuncion was quick to commend her team for today’s performance and said she was relieved that all went according to plan. With the team’s sights now set on the next game versus perennial contender National University (NU), Coach Robles-Asuncion had this to say: “We have to play it right. No expectations. We don’t want to focus on the win or loss. We’d rather focus on playing it right, because if we play it right, then that gets you the bigger chance to actually win it.” 

This win puts Ateneo in the win column at 1-0. The Blue Eagles look to protect their spotless record against the NU Bulldogs on Friday, September 20, 8:00 AM, at the Centro Atletico Badminton Hall, Quezon City. 

Team-Tie Score: Ateneo 5, UST 0

Set Scores:

1st Singles: Arthur Salvado (Ateneo) defeated Jerone Belong (UST): 21-10, 21-11

2nd Singles: Keoni Asuncion (Ateneo) defeated Lanz Adrian Ramirez (UST): 21-13, 19-21, 21-16

1st Doubles: Fides Bagasbas and Jeno Cariño (Ateneo) defeated Henry and Henric Peralta (UST): 19-21, 21-11, 21-16

2nd Doubles: Keoni Asuncion and Jacinto Maliwat (Ateneo) defeated Russel Enriquez and Josh Olin Christian Defensor (UST): 17-21, 21-15, 21-16

3rd Singles: Bryan Bernardo (Ateneo) defeated Sean Dela Cruz (UST): 21-15, 21-18