IN THEIR first match after the break, the Ateneo Men’s Badminton Team (AMBT) bounced back from last week’s defeat with a 5-0 victory over the Adamson University (AdU) Soaring Falcons. The match was held earlier today at the Centro Atletico Badminton Center in Quezon City.
This sweep against the Soaring Falcons gives the Blue Eagles a 2-1 win-loss record in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 86 Men’s Badminton Tournament.
Lyrden Laborte kick-started today’s matchup with a 2-0 victory over AdU’s Reniel Jusi in the first singles match. The Ateneo veteran came out firing in the first set with an 11-3 advantage. Despite the Ermita-based shuttler’s comeback attempt midway into the set, Laborte kept his poise and mounted a scoring run en route to a 21-11 victory. The second set would be a dominant showing for the Blue Eagle with a 21-5 win, giving Ateneo its first team-tie point of the morning.
Next up for the Blue and White was Lance Vargas, who scored a 2-0 win against Harold Bonilla in the second singles bout. With a flurry of powerful hits and quick reflexes, the AMBT rookie cruised past the first set, 21-8. Vargas then steadily continued his momentum in the second set, closing the bout at 21-11.
With the overall victory at stake, Laborte returned to team up with Team Captain Arthur Salvado as they faced Gabriel Ganoy and Noel Hernandez in the first doubles match. In the first set, both squads had back-and-forth exchanges in the early stages of the game, but the Katipunan-based duo pulled away to take a 21-11 victory. Much like the first set, another heated exchange kept the contest close in the opening parts of the second set. However, the Ateneo duo weathered the storm with aggressive attacks, scraping past Adamson, 21-15, securing the match win for the Blue Eagles at 3-0.
To continue doubles action, Charles Bagasbas and Allen Penute continued Ateneo’s winning ways with a 2-0 win over Kyles Corcuera and Nathan Tividad. After close exchanges in the first set, the Blue Eagles’ defense was able to limit Adamson’s scoring opportunities, 21-14. In the second set, both squads went on multiple back-and-forth encounters, but Bagasbas and Penute maintained their composure, pulling away with a 21-16 win.
With the bout all but over, Salvado capped off the Blue and White’s stellar morning with a 2-0 victory over Nathan Acedillo. Coming right out of the gates early, the AMBT skipper made quick work of the Ermita-based shuttler, thumping Acedillo 21-7 in both sets.
The Blue Eagles will look for its first winning streak of the season as they come up against the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Tiger Shuttlers on Sunday, 8:00 AM, in the same venue.
