THE ATENEO Men’s Lawn Tennis Team (AMLTT) booked a ticket to the finals after edging out the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Tennis Tigers, 3-2, in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 85 Tennis Tournament. The match between the high-powered teams was held yesterday, April 12, at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center in the City of Manila. 

Jed Olivarez kicked off Ateneo’s tightly-contested rematch against UST in the first Singles matchup against Nilo Ledama. The Blue Eagle already showed early signs of dominance with a 3-0 lead in the first set before UST’s Ledama retired from the match, automatically handing the Blue Eagles their first team-tie point. 

Coming off Olivarez’s win, the Katipunan-based duo of Mik Balce and Nio Tria then clashed with Geo Serino and Eric Jay Tangub in the first Doubles matchup. The Atenean rookie duo effortlessly powered past their UST counterparts in the first set, 6-2. While UST’s Serino and Tangub inched close to forcing a deciding third set, Balce and Tria managed to close the second set in Ateneo’s favor, 6-4, bringing Ateneo up to a 2-0 team-tie. 

Meanwhile, Blue Eagle Diego Dayrit was bested by UST Tiger John Sonsona in the second Singles event. After registering a 1-6 loss in the first set, Dayrit switched to a more aggressive play style in the next set in an attempt to flip the script. While this strategy allowed him to tally more points, the Atenean eventually dropped the second set, 3-6. 

By the second Doubles matchup, Stef Gurria and JJ Llavore sealed Ateneo’s victory against UST as they toppled Tigers Symon Jaculan and Mark Alfred Directo. The Blue and White pairing easily tamed the powerful UST duo, defeating them in two sets, 6-3, 6-1. 

Veteran Gab Tiamson then commenced the third Singles nailbiter against UST’s Sebastian Santos. Tiamson narrowly outlasted the Tiger in the first set, 7-5. However, Santos turned things around in the second set, 7-5, forcing the match to enter a do-or-die third set. The Blue and White’s Tiamson eventually retired early into the final skirmish, 0-1, giving UST its second team-tie point. 

Ateneo now holds an 8-2 win-loss record, sharing the first-place spot with the UST Tennis Tigers and the University of the East Men’s (UE) Lawn Tennis Warriors. 

The Blue and White’s next match will be against the UE Lawn Tennis Warriors at 2:30 PM, Saturday, April 15, at the same venue. 

Team-Tie Score: Ateneo-UST: 3-2

First Men’s Singles: Olivarez def. Ledama (ret.), 3-0

First Men’s Doubles: Balce & Tria def. Serino & Tangub, 6-2, 6-4

Second Men’s Singles: Dayrit fell to Sonsona, 1-6, 3-6

Second Men’s Doubles: Gurria & Llavore def. Directo & Jaculan, 6-3, 6-1

Third Men’s Singles: Tiamson (ret.) fell to Santos, 7-5, 5-7, 0-1