CONTINUING THEIR dominant display from day two, the Ateneo Men’s Badminton Team (AMBT) went unbeaten in all their matchups during the third day of the 2024 Philippine Badminton Open. The fixtures were held yesterday at the First Pacific Leadership Academy in Antipolo, Rizal.

For the day’s first bout, Team Captain Pingkoy Salvado and rookie hotshot Lance Vargas assembled for doubles action against Team Rapid’s Carlos Canayan and Niel Pineda. Following a nail-biting first set, the Blue and White’s star-studded duo came out victorious, 22-20, 21-17, advancing to the round of 32.

A face-off between two University of the Philippines Athletic Association (UAAP) schools was next on the cards in a match between Ateneo and the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Golden Shuttlers. 

The Atenean pair of Charles Bagasbas and reigning UAAP Most Valuable Player (MVP) Lyrden Laborte squared off against UST’s Francis Sarmiento and Lennox Cuilao. Following an initial back-and-forth affair where each side took one set apiece, 21-19 and 15-21, the Katipunan-based squad ultimately powered through in the deciding third set, 21-19, to move on to the round of 32.

Meanwhile, kicking off singles action was Robert Ramos who took on King Arthur Espiritu of the Mega Smashers. In a commanding sweep, Ramos took a 2-0 victory, winning 21-12, 21-8.

Coming off his doubles victory earlier in the day, Salvado looked to ride the wave of momentum in his singles bout against John Paul Yabut of Team Prime. The two athletes remained neck-and-neck for the majority of the match, with Salvado striking first blood, 21-16, and Yabut firing back in response, 20-22. However, Yabut’s retirement during the third set automatically sent Salvado to the round of 16.

Laborte would be the next to get a taste of singles action, taking on Ron Zacarias of VBTC. With the set score tied following  21-11 and 19-21 results, the slugfest concluded in the third set in favor of the Blue and White, 21-9.

Assistant Coach Carlo Remo would also make his mark, making quick work of Zachary Chua from the Bianca Carlos Badminton Academy, 21-10, 21-13. Both Laborte and Remo joined Salvado in advancing to the round of 16.

Thereafter, Salvado and Vargas returned for doubles action as they faced off against Jason Pajarillo and Kyle Basilio in the round of 32. In swift fashion, the latter would be taken care of in a matter of two sets, 21-11, 21-8.

Capping off the day’s masterclass from the Blue Eagles, Charles Bagasbas and Lyrden Laborte suited up to take on Joshua Martinez and Mohammad Amerodin. In what was a one-sided contest, Bagasbas and Laborte came out on top with a statement victory, 21-9, 21-10.

Inching closer to the Finals, the Blue Eagles look to continue their charge today, June 8, at 8:00 AM in the same venue.