Despite experiencing a rough patch of form on the third day of their University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 86 journey, the Ateneo Men’s Table Tennis racked up enough wins to secure their spot in the tournament’s Final Four. The matches were held earlier today at the Amoranto Sports Complex in Quezon City.

The Men’s squad finished with two wins and two losses in today’s matches against the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons (UP), Far Eastern University Tamaraw Paddlers (FEU), University of Santo Tomas Tiger Paddlers (UST), and De La Salle University Green Paddlers (DLSU). As a result of their performance to start the second round, the Blue Eagles now hold a standing of 7-3 heading into the final stretch of second round matches.

8:30 AM match vs UP

Starting off the day was the Battle of Katipunan rematch, which resulted in another 3-0 sweep favoring the Blue Eagles. The veteran Kong Cabrido was dominant against Gabriel Nieva in the first match, 11-2, 12-10, and 11-6. Cabrido showed resilience by rallying back from an early UP lead in the second game, while also notching  five straight points in the following set to end the contest in his favor.

Rookie Andree Garcia followed up with a four-set triumph against the Fighting Maroons’ Rikki Chuaquico, 11-4, 10-12, 11-3, and 11-7. Despite dropping a set, the new Atenean paddler roared back to life with an assertive showing in the third and fourth sets to secure the Blue Eagles’ second team point.

Finishing the job was Blue and White pairing Wrency Abad and France de Asis, overcoming UP’s Earnst Salloman and Paul Tolentino in four games. The Loyola Heights-based duo conceded the first set before storming back and claiming the next three games for the overall team victory. With this win, the Blue Eagles were able to sweep UP in both their first and second round matches.

10:30 AM match vs FEU

The second team tie of the day saw the Blue Eagles complete another sweep, this time against the FEU Tamaraw Paddlers, 3-0. Garcia opened the series with a whitewash over Arsenio de Guzman, winning the first two sets 11-6 while edging out the Morayta-based player in the third game, 12-10.

Playing in his first match today, Captain Andrew Uy then added another team point for the Blue Eagles with a four-set victory against Christian Golez, 11-8, 11-9, 10-12, and 11-5. Despite dropping the third game, Uy did not let up and breezed through the fourth game to bag Ateneo’s second team point of the tie.

To close out the contest, Abad and de Asis continued to show off their indelible chemistry as a duo by dominating Louis Sacay and Claer Riego, 11-5, 11-8, and 11-7. The pair’s win over their Tamaraw opponents meant that the Blue Eagles did not drop a single game against FEU in their two matchups this season.

1:30 PM match vs UST

In their much awaited rematch against the defending champions, the Blue Eagles were unable to exact revenge against the UST Tiger Paddlers as they dropped their first match of the day, 1-3. Drozle Fresco was swept by John Castro in the first game in a decisive manner, where the Blue Eagle’s effort of a late comeback in the third canto was denied, as the Tiger paddler drew first blood for UST.

Ateneo’s skipper Uy succumbed next to the reigning champions’ wrath, as he was overwhelmed by Eljay Dan Tormis, 5-11, 6-11, and 6-11. The leader showed signs of life in the second set with an early lead but was swiftly intercepted by last season’s Rookie of the Year.

Looking to spark a fuse in the Ateneo camp, the reliable duo of Abad and de Asis’ notched a victory against Al Sanchez and Abraham Antivio IV in the doubles match. Despite dropping the first canto, 9-11, the Blue and White pairing went on to win the next three sets in a resounding manner, 11-7, 11-7, and 11-3.

The Atenean comeback attempt was quickly dashed, however, as Cabrido fell short against Season 85 Most Valuable Player (MVP) Alvin Sevilla. Cabrido started the match strong, claiming the first game, 11-9. Nevertheless, the reigning MVP showed his mettle and routed the Atenean in the following canto, 11-1. Sevilla finding his groove ultimately spelled doom for Cabrido as the Tiger paddler also claimed the third and fourth set, 11-9, 11-5.

3:30 PM match vs DLSU

Looking to end an action-packed day on a high note, the Blue Eagles faced fabled adversary De La Salle University. To start off the series against their archrivals, Fresco lost a thrilling four-set battle against Elijah Yamson, 2-11, 8-11, 12-10, and 6-11. Emptying his gas tank after a grueling day, Fresco was still able to take the third game, but was ultimately unsuccessful in finding the winning edge over his opponent.

Aiming to give the Blue and White a fighting chance, Garcia leveled the team-tie against Red Torres, 9-11, 12-10, 11-7, and 11-1. Despite falling short in the opening game, the rookie quickly redeemed himself by winning the next three frames, including a convincing ten-point salvo in the fourth canto.

Dropping their first match of the day, the pairing of Abad and de Asis fell short against the Green Paddlers’ Marwin Eder and Christian Crisostomo in maximum sets, 8-11, 11-8, 11-7, 7-11, and 8-11. The tight game saw the Ateneo duo assert a 2-1 set lead before giving away the team point after a willful comeback from the Taft-based side.

Determined to throw a lifeline to the Blue Eagles, Cabrido routed Troy Docto in the first set of their clash, 11-2. However, the Green Paddler was able to turn it up and attain the rest of the sets, 11-8, 11-9, and 11-5 to ultimately give the team win to DLSU.

The Blue Eagles aim to finish the second round strong and qualify for the Final Four when they come up against the Adamson Soaring Falcons and the University of the East Red Warriors on Wednesday, 8:30 AM and 1:30 PM respectively, at the same venue.