AFTER FIVE thrilling matches, the Ateneo Men’s Lawn Tennis Team fell short in the first tie of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 86 Men’s Lawn Tennis Tournament Finals, 2-3. Their best-of-three series against the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Male Tennisters began earlier today at the Felicisimo Ampon Tennis Center in the City of Manila.

Opening the first match, Noy Seno took on UST’s Eric Jay Tangub. The first set saw both players going on a back-and-forth exchange—not allowing each other to gain separation. With the score knotted at four apiece, the Blue Eagle went on a late surge with commanding attacks to secure the win, 6-4. Seno then followed up with a dominant performance in the following set with a clean 6-0 sweep, giving Ateneo its first team-tie victory.

Meanwhile, AMLTT skipper Jonelle Llavore and Stefano Gurria took on Male Tennisters Richard Bautista and Nash Agustines to open doubles action. The España-based couplet went on the attack in the first chapter and never looked back, copping the 6-0 victory. Despite another deadlock at four games apiece, the Blue Eagles could not sustain their momentum, surrendering at 4-6.

With the team-tie score at 1-1, rookie sensation JD Velez squared off against reigning Most Valuable Player Nilo Ledama. In the opening set, Velez’s precise hits from the baseline allowed him to nab the victory in dominant fashion, 6-0. Ledama got off to a quick 2-0 start in the second chapter, but the Atenean managed to stop the bleeding to force a tie, 2-2. However, it was Ledama’s championship pedigree that propelled a four-point run by UST to ultimately secure the win, 6-2.

Looking to bounce back, Velez jumped to an early two-point lead in the deciding set, but Ledama responded with multiple shots to knot the contest at two-all. What followed was another heated exchange as the set saw two more deadlocks, 3-3 and 4-4. With another team-tie victory at stake, Velez maintained his poise and secured the last two points of the set to win at 6-4.

Concluding singles action was Austin Delos Santos taking on UST’s Sebastian Santos. The first set started tight with both players trading powerful shots, eager to test each other’s mettle. Despite the Blue Eagle holding his own, Santos utilized his quickness in the late stages to take a 7-5 win. Santos would use this momentum in the second set as he made quick work of his Katipunan-based adversary, 6-1.

With the team-tie score at 2-2, Nio Tria and Axl Gonzaga took on Steven Sonsona and Symon Jaculan in the deciding match of tie one. Facing an early 1-3 hole in the first frame, the Blue Eagles showcased their resilience to force the tiebreaker, 6-6. However, UST’s hard-hitting strokes in the late phase would prove to be too much for Ateneo, 6-7. 

In the second chapter, UST overwhelmed the Blue and White’s defense to take a 5-2 lead, but Tria and Gonzaga never wavered as they mounted a come-from-behind victory after forcing another tiebreaker and securing the 7-6 win.

The finale commenced with both teams going back and forth in their trade of shots, with the Blue Eagles’ scintillating returns putting them in prime position to mount the upset, 5-3. However, they could not sustain their momentum as they would not be able to contain UST’s rally late, eventually dropping the final set, 5-7.

Down 0-1 in this best-of-three series, the Blue Eagles now face a must-win second tie if they are to keep their championship hopes alive. The next matchup will be held on Saturday, April 6, at 7:30 AM at the same venue.

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

Seno (Ateneo) def. Tangub (UST), 6-4, 6-0

Bautista and Agustines (UST) def. Llavore and Gurria (Ateneo), 6-0, 6-4

Velez (Ateneo) def. Ledama (UST), 6-4, 6-1

Santos (UST) def. Delos Santos (Ateneo), 7-5, 6-1

Sonsona and Jaculan (UST) def. Tria and Gonzaga (Ateneo), 6-7, 6-7, 5-7