THE ATENEO Men’s Badminton Team obtain silver in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 85 Men’s Badminton Tournament after coming up short against the National University (NU) Bulldogs.

The Blue Eagles fell to the defending champions in the finals, 0-3, earlier today at the Centro Atletico Badminton Hall in Quezon City. With this result, the Blue and White have earned their second-straight second-place finish.

Kicking off the championship was the first men’s singles match between Ateneo’s Lyrden Laborte and NU’s Lanz Zafra. The Bulldogs went on the attack right from the get-go with powerful smashes, en route to a 21-13 first-set victory. In the second set, Laborte started strong with an early 2-0 lead but Zafra quickly recovered and pulled away to take the second set, 21-13.

Co-captain Arthur Salvado Jr. faced NU’s Mark Velasco in the second men’s singles match. Down by 13-20, the Blue Eagles’ attempted a comeback late in the first set, but Velasco fired an emphatic smash to seal the win, 21-18. Despite committing three consecutive faults, Salvado recovered with a scoring run to take a resounding 21-10 second set victory.

[Second Men’s Singles]

Salvado forces a third set after a dominant performance in the second!

Ateneo: 21 NU: 10#UAAPBadminton pic.twitter.com/vAqzQSEBAk

— Vito Martin (@Vito_TheGUIDON) November 13, 2022

A back-and-forth exchange from both teams kicked off the third set, but the Bulldogs soon mounted an 11-5 advantage. Down by 8-15, Ateneo’s Salvado went on a run to cut the deficit to four, but NU scored four straight points that ultimately led to a 21-14 Bulldog victory.

In the first men’s doubles match, co-captain Bryan Bernardo and rookie Charles Bagasbas looked to keep their title hopes alive, as they took on NU’s Julius Villabrille and Solomon Padiz. The Blue Eagles found themselves in an early 2-7 deficit as NU went aggressive with their attacks. Bernardo and Bagasbas struggled to return the Bulldogs’ smash attempts, eventually surrendering the first set, 13-21. NU’s duo cruised past Ateneo with an early 5-1 advantage and never looked back, sealing their seventh consecutive championship with a 21-10 second-set win.

In light of the loss, Salvado was grateful that the team made it to the finals, especially after their limited preparation and the two-year layoff due to the pandemic. The team captain is also positive that the team will produce a better performance in the upcoming season.

For rookie Laborte, playing in the UAAP for the first time is the fulfillment of a childhood dream. “Ever since bata pa ako, napapanood ko na po ang UAAP tapos gusto ko talagang maglaro for Ateneo talaga (Ever since I was a kid, I was already watching the UAAP and I wanted to play for Ateneo),” he shared.

Moreover, the rookie stalwart also shared that the Ateneo community can expect a stronger and more experienced team in Season 86, not just individually but collectively.

Team-Tie score: Ateneo-NU: 0-3

First Men’s Singles: Zafra def. Laborte, 13-21, 13-21

Second Men’s Singles: Velasco def. Salvado, 18-21, 21-10, 14-21

First Men’s Doubles: Villabrille and Padiz def. Bernardo and Bagasbas, 13-21, 10-21