In a thrilling showdown of wit and dominance, the Ateneo Men’s Badminton Team broke the 60-match win streak of seven-time defending champions National University Bulldogs, 3-2, in the final match of the elimination round. The game was held earlier today at the Centro Atletico Badminton Center in Quezon City.
With a triumphant qualifying-round finisher, the Loyola Heights-based unit secured pole position in the Final Four picture, boasting a 4-1 win-loss record in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 86 Men’s Badminton Tournament.
Lyrden Laborte kick-started the day’s opening singles match with a masterful performance against Mark Velasco, 2-0. With a comfortable seven-point lead at the halfway mark, the Atenean’s strong smashes and his foe’s wayward strokes let Laborte take the opening set, 21-9. The next canto likewise saw errors plague Velasco’s offensive gambits, giving Laborte ample leeway to command rallies and pull off a decisive 21-14 win.
Lance Vargas followed suit in singles action with a thrilling three-set match against NU’s Marcjoel Perez. Despite early faults on the Atenean rookie’s end, Vargas was able to turn the tide in his favor thanks to well-driven hits. This adjustment consequently secured Vargas the first frame, 21-15. However, with renewed tenacity, Perez denied the Blue Eagle any major edge in the second set, sending the match to a decider after a 22-20 victory. Throughout the intense bout, a sequence of faulty shots from Vargas kept him from gaining any significant edge. In the end, hopes for an early team-tie lead for Ateneo were dashed after a service-receiving foul saw Vargas surrender the last set, 18-21.
Not dwelling on the setback, Vargas returned to pair up with Team Captain Arthur Salvado Jr., facing Reigning UAAP Most Valuable Player (MVP) Solomon Padiz Jr. and Julius Villabrille. The first set saw the NU pairing swiftly reverse the Ateneo-favored lead halfway through the game, 11-10. Although the Blue Eagles eventually cut the deficit with a 17-17 tie, NU reclaimed the back-and-forth scuffle to notch the first set, 22-20. The second frame also saw Ateneo possess a comfortable lead throughout the game, thanks to an astute blend of tactics from both Salvado Jr. and Vargas. However, the pairing fell short after consecutive net faults and a Villabrille smash, 19-21.
Looking to force a grudge match, Laborte and Charles Bagasbas outlasted NU’s James Villarante and Marcjoel Perez in the second double’s match, 2-1. Although the Blue Eagles led in the early stages of the opening set, thunderous smashes and drop shots from both ends tied the game at 17-17. However, Ateneo’s mistakes ultimately cost them the opening bout, 19-21. Despite many close calls in the next set, Ateneo secured a winning edge, 21-19, to extend the match. The third set featured shuttlewise impetus shifts, but the Blue and White managed to scrape past their foes with a 22-20 victory.
With the overall victory still up in the air, Arthur Salvado Jr. braved through Villabrille in a 2-0 thriller. A trade of powerful smashes allowed no comfortable lead for either side of the court, but Villabrille’s miscalculated shots in the end decided the match in Ateneo’s favor, 20–22. On the other hand, the second set saw the Atenean veteran cruise past his opponent thanks to tenacious offensive maneuvers that clinched the day’s matchup for the Blue and White, 21-12.
With top spot in their possession, the Blue Eagles will gear up to face the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Tiger Shuttlers in the Men’s Badminton semifinals on November 10 at the same venue.
Current Standings (W-L)
- ATENEO Blue Eagles (4-1)
- NU Bulldogs (4-1)
- UP Fighting Maroons (3-1)
- UST Tiger Shuttlers (1-3)
- DLSU Green Shuttlers (1-3)
- AdU Soaring Falcons (0-5)
