THE ATENEO Blue Eagles carded a 1-1 win-loss record on Day 2 of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 85 Men’s Table Tennis Tournament on Monday, November 21, at the Makati Coliseum.
Andrew Uy opened Ateneo’s fight against their Katipunan-neighbor University of the Philippines (UP) with a straight sweep against Carl Mangiwet, 3-0.
Blue Eagle Mahendra Cabrido then attained another team tie point for the Blue and White by maintaining large leads against Fighting Maroon Benzdio Florida, 11-1, 11-6, 11-3.
Dynamic duo Zherdel Fresco and Sean Uy then beat out UP’s Earnst Salloman and Paul Tolentino in the first doubles standoff. Although the Fighting Maroon duo put up a fight to equalize the match scores at 2-2, Fresco and S. Uy managed to stand their ground to eventually seal Ateneo’s win against UP.
[First Doubles]
— Juno Reyes (@Juno_TheGUIDON) November 21, 2022
S. Uy and Fresco take the fifth set, 11-8, after a receive by Salloman and Tolentino goes out of bounds. Ateneo takes this team tie!
Match Score: Ateneo 3 UP 2
Team Tie Score: Ateneo 3 UP 0#UAAPTableTennis@TheGUIDONSports pic.twitter.com/Yhpa2nm4MN
In the next match against archrivals De La Salle University (DLSU), Blue Eagle Cabrido’s victory in the second set was not enough to defeat DLSU Elijah Yamson ending the match, 1-3.
Blue Eagle Wrency Abad showed early signs of a straight sweep against Green Paddler Dino Marcelo, but the feisty DLSU paddler fought hard to turn it around to get the team tie point, 2-3. Ateneo’s A. Uy showcased dominance in the match with swift smashes against Vince Remitio, securing a sweep for the Blue and White, 3-0.
[Third Singles]
— Juno Reyes (@Juno_TheGUIDON) November 21, 2022
A. Uy survives a late Remitio comeback, 11-9, to secure the Ateneo’s second team tie point vs. DLSU!
The two teams now enter a fourth singles death-match to decide the victors.
Match Score: Ateneo 3 DLSU 0
Team Tie Score: Ateneo 2 DLSU 2#UAAPTableTennis pic.twitter.com/kkXnB9VQYv
Blue Eagle duo Fresco and S. Uy took the stage once again to defeat DLSU’s Josh Espinosa and Patrick Pasumbal. It was an uphill climb all throughout for the DLSU duo, with Ateneo taking the match win after three sets, 11-6, 11-4, and 11-6. Ateneo’s Mark Parman recorded the first-set win against Green Paddler Christian Crisostomo, yet it was not enough to secure a victory, 1-3. Despite the attempted comeback, Ateneo bowed down to DLSU.
The Ateneo Blue Eagles are scheduled to play the tournament’s second round of games on November 22, at 8:00 AM at the Makati Coliseum. They will square off with the University of the East Red Warriors, the UP Fighting Maroons, and the Far Eastern University Tamaraws for Round 2.
