A YEAR removed from a tearful exit in the semi-finals last season, the Ateneo Men’s Badminton Team found a shot at redemption in a ticket to the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 82 Men’s Badminton finals. In the first game of their best-of-three series against defending champs National University (NU) Bulldogs, the Blue Eagles’ valiant effort fell just short, 2-3, on Friday, October 4, at the Centro Atletico Badminton Hall.
Ateneo’s Arthur Salvado lost to NU’s Frell Gabuelo in the opening match of the day, dropping two sets, 16-21 and 14-21. Gabuelo’s long kills and crafty play put the Bulldogs on the board first with a win which would prove to be crucial in the team-tie outcome.
Team Captain Keoni Asuncion took command for Ateneo in the Second Singles match against Solomon Padiz. Asuncion and Padiz slugged it out until the Ateneo stalwart brought home the first game, 21-19. Padiz stepped up in the second game, catching up to Asuncion at match point and forcing a third set, 25-23, with his sharp play.
Asuncion left no room for Padiz to come back in the third, sealing him off with an efficient 21-14 win to put Ateneo at par with NU entering the doubles matches.
Co-captain Fides Bagasbas and rookie Jeno Cariño bannered Ateneo in the First Doubles match as they faced the NU tandem of James Villarante and Julius Villabrille. Bagasbas and Cariño, despite an energetic outing, fell in two sets to the Bulldogs, 12-21 and 11-21.
Asuncion and Salvado returned to the court for Ateneo in the Second Doubles match, pairing up against their earlier opponents, Padiz and Gabuelo. Both sides refused to give up any breathing room early in the game, but Asuncion and Salvado pulled away late to take it, 21-18. Gabuelo and Padiz would not let them off easy in the second set, as they battled hard to keep it close. Despite a cache of early errors, Asuncion and Salvado rallied to escape with a 21-19 win to equalize the team-tie at two-all.
With the fate of the first installment of the finals series on the line, Bagasbas stepped up for Ateneo in the third singles match against NU’s Estarco Bacalso III. The rivals duked it out in a captivating match that held the crowd on edge multiple times. Bacalso started hot, leading Bagasbas by six entering the halfway point of the first game. The Bulldog rode his momentum, outplaying a visibly drained Bagasbas to a 21-17 win.
Bagasbas rediscovered his form in the second set, spurred on by the raucous chants of his teammates, coaches, and fans in attendance. Facing a 14-19 deficit late in the second game, Bagasbas buckled down and put on an inspiring performance to come back from the depths and snatch the lead back. A quick kill off a service from Bacalso extended the game to a third set a few plays later, 22-20.
However, Bacalso would clamp down hard in the third game. Finding himself down by just four at the break, Bagasbas worked to pull himself closer, but costly errors allowed the NU stalwart to slowly build a cushion. Bagasbas went on to drop the final set, 16-21, surrendering the game and the first match of the finals series to NU.
With NU just one more team-tie victory away from a back-to-back championship, expect the Blue Eagles to make a strong stand in the second game of their finals series on Saturday, October 5 at the Camp Crame Gymnasium in Quezon City.
Ateneo vs. AdU
Team-tie Score: Ateneo 2 NU 3
Match Scores:
First Singles: Frell Gabuelo (NU) defeated Arthur Salvado (Ateneo): 21-16, 21-14
Second Singles: Keoni Asuncion (Ateneo) defeated Solomon Padiz (NU): 21-19, 23-25, 21-14
First Doubles: James Villarante and Julius Villabrille (NU) defeated Fides Bagasbas and Jeno Cariño (Ateneo): 21-12, 21-11
Second Doubles: Keoni Asuncion and Arthur Salvado (Ateneo) defeated Frell Gabuelo and Solomon Padiz (NU): 21-18, 21-19
Third Singles: Estarco Bacalso III (NU) defeated Fides Bagasbas (Ateneo): 21-17, 20-22, 21-16
