THE ATENEO Men’s Badminton Team trampled the De La Salle University (DLSU) Green Shuttlers on day two of their University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 87 campaign, 5-0. The match was held earlier today at the Rizal Memorial Badminton Hall in the City of Manila.

This win puts the Blue Eagles at 2-0 in the win-loss column of Season 87, with the defending champions having yet to drop a single team-tie through one week of action.

Today’s rivalry bout began with Robert Ramos edging out Green Shuttler James Capin with a 2-1 win in the first singles match. Ramos got off to a rough start with Capin taking a five-rally lead, 8-13. Despite the deficit, the Blue Eagle maintained his composure and answered Capin’s attacks, taking the next three rallies, 11-13. With intense battles at the net and aggressive shots coming from both sides, the set concluded with an anti-climactic finish as Ramos failed to receive a clear shot from Capin, 19-21.

The next two sets showcased a more cool and composed Ramos as he dictated the pace of the rallies with his smashes to put Capin on the defensive. With newfound momentum and confidence, Ramos took the last two sets, 21-11 and 21-15, for the Blue Eagles’ first team-tie point of the day.

The second singles match saw Season 86 Most Valuable Player (MVP) Lyrden Laborte take a resounding 2-0 win over DLSU’s Joshua Fajilan, as the Atenean dominated both sets with overwhelming attacks. Forced to go on the defensive, Fajilan constantly played the role of a receiver, waiting for Laborte to commit lapses. Through his arsenal of shots, however, Laborte managed to cut through Fajilan’s conservative play to take both sets, 21-14 and 21-9, stretching Ateneo’s team-tie advantage to 2-0.

Reigning Rookie of the Year Lance Vargas and Team Captain and Co-MVP Pingkoy Salvado then joined forces to take on DLSU’s Yuan Tan and Miguel Cuarte. Determined by who would make the most mistakes, the first set saw a barrage of attacks from Vargas and Salvado to put pressure on La Salle in receiving the shuttle, 21-17. The second set was no different as the Blue Eagle duo doubled their offensive aggression with multiple net kills, not giving the Taft-based squad time to breathe, 21-13.

In the second doubles match, Laborte paired with Allen Penute to outclass DLSU’s Team Captain Joshua Morada and Zaki Layno. The first set saw an equal battle as neither team managed to gain a large advantage. It was only after the Green Shuttlers’ 14th point when the Blue and White successfully took three consecutive rallies, 19-14. After another exchange of alternating points, the Blue Eagles secured the set with a well-timed smash from Penute, 21-17.

The second set featured the most intense standoff of the day as both teams won 20 rallies each. Determined to gain the lead, Laborte succumbed to the pressure as his receiving shot failed to go over the net, 20-21. Refusing to give up, Penute found a hole in DLSU’s defense as he smashed the shuttle through the two Green Shuttlers’ defense, 21-21.

With all eyes on the court, Morada and Layno failed to maintain their composure as their shot went out of bounds, giving Ateneo match point, 22-21. Eager to finish the game off, Laborte secured the team-tie with an astonishing drive, 23-21.

Ready to close out the showdown, Ateneo’s Vargas and DLSU’s Cuarte stepped onto the court once again for the third singles match. The first set saw an assertive Vargas using clear shots to keep Cuarte moving, eventually taking the set through intense rallies, 21-10.

However, the second set started off on Cuarte’s pace as he used deep serves to drag out rallies in an attempt to tire Vargas. Despite this, Vargas remained determined to end the rallies quickly by using a combination of net kills and smashes, allowing him to take the second set and the final team-tie for Ateneo, 21-16.

The Blue Eagles will look to continue their surging momentum against the University of Santo Tomas Tiger Shuttlers on October 20, at 8:00 AM in the same venue. 

Team-tie Score: 

Ateneo-DLSU: 5-0 

Results: 

First Singles: Ramos (Ateneo) def. Capin (DLSU), 19-21, 21-11, 21-15

Second Singles: Laborte (Ateneo) def. Fajilan (DLSU), 21-14, 21-9

First Doubles: Vargas & Salvado (Ateneo) def. Tan & Cuarte (DLSU), 21-17, 21-13

Second Doubles: Laborte & Penute (Ateneo) def. Morada & Layno (DLSU), 21-17, 23-21

Third Singles: Vargas (Ateneo) def. Cuarte (DLSU), 21-10, 21-16

Current Standings (W/L)

1. ATENEO Blue Eagles (2-0)
2. NU Bulldogs (2-0)
3. UP Fighting Maroons (1-1) 
4. UST Tiger Shuttlers (1-1)
5. AdU Soaring Falcons (0-2) 
6. DLSU Green Shuttlers (0-2)