THE ATENEO Men’s Lawn Tennis Team (AMLTT) ends the second round of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines Season 85 Men’s Tennis Tournament with an assertive win over the University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons, 4-1.

The Blue and White earned their win earlier today at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center in the City of Manila. 

Diego Dayrit opened the final day of the second round for Ateneo in the first Singles match against UP’s Loucas Fernandez. Despite the promising Blue Eagle’s persistent efforts to cut the set leads, the Fighting Maroon closed the match in two sets, 6-1, 6-1.  As such, UP found themselves holding the first point of the matchup, 1-0.

Moving over to the first Doubles match, Mik Balce and Nio Tria made quick work of UP’s Karl Miguel and Jonas Silva. Despite partnering up for the first time this season, the Ateneo duo’s chemistry allowed them to finish the match in two sets, 6-4, 6-0. This allowed the Blue and White to recover and even out the team-tie score, 1-1.

Jed Olivarez carried Ateneo’s momentum in the second Singles match, winning over UP’s Zire Mina. The undefeated Blue Eagle opened the matchup with a tightly-contested first set, 7-5. Afterwards, he quickly recovered by easing through the second set, 6-0. With the win, Ateneo found themselves in the driver’s seat by leading the team-tie, 2-1.

AMLTT Co-Captain Gab Tiamson secured the team-tie win for Ateneo, overcoming UP’s Rafael Liangco. The Ateneo veteran’s experience in Singles action throughout the season translated into him dominating Liangco in two straight sets, 6-3, 6-1.

Stef Gurria and JJ Llavore closed off today’s win for the Blue and White against Walther Luzon and Allen Rombawa in the second Doubles match. The Blue Eagles powered through the first set, 6-1, and they managed to pull through a tough second set, 7-5. This gave Ateneo the overall team-tie score of 4-1.

The AMLTT ends the second round of UAAP Season 85 with a successful record of 9-3, launching the team to the Final Four. The time and date, as well as who their Final Four matchup is yet to be decided, as National University, University of Santo Tomas, and University of the East are all vying for their spots in the top four.

Team-Tie Score: Ateneo-UP: 4-1

First Men’s Singles: Dayrit fell to Fernandez, 1-6, 1-6

First Men’s Doubles: Balce & Tria def. Miguel & Silva, 6-4, 6-0

Second Men’s Singles: Olivarez def. Mina, 7-5, 6-0

Third Men’s Singles: Tiamson def. Liangco, 6-3, 6-1

Second Men’s Doubles: Gurria & Llavore def. Luzon & Rombawa, 6-1, 7-5