WITH THEIR season on the line, the Ateneo Men’s Badminton Team punched their ticket to the finals after outclassing the University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons, 3-1, in an entertaining Final Four contest.

The Blue Eagles’ University Athletic Association of the Philippines Season 87 semifinal bout took place earlier today at the Rizal Memorial Badminton Hall in the City of Manila. With the win, the repeat-seeking Ateneo arranges a fourth consecutive finals duel with the National University Bulldogs since Season 82.

Notably, the Bulldogs denied the Blue Eagles’ championship hopes in the Season 82 and 85 finals, while the Blue and White exacted revenge last Season 86.

Nearly a year removed from his iconic championship-winning performance, Lance Vargas first entered postseason play for Ateneo, squaring off against UP’s Jewel Albo in the first singles match. The opening half of the first set saw a back and forth affair between the Katipunan rivals as Albo raced to a slim 14-12 lead. The set remained tightly contested until the end, with Vargas dropping two-straight critical points capped by a costly fault, 19-21.

Looking for an equalizer, Vargas stormed to an early 5-2 lead in the second set courtesy of his calculated and skillful play. However, the Fighting Maroon swiftly retaliated, producing a 12-5 run to take the lead as he exploited gaps on Ateneo’s end. While Vargas attempted to reinvigorate his odds, the Season 86 Rookie of the Year was unable to keep up with Albo’s offensive finesse, 16-21, surrendering the first team-tie to UP.

Ateneo’s Lyrden Laborte carried firm intentions of helping the Blue Eagles rebound in his second singles matchup against Shan Clar from UP. Imposing his imprint in the first set, Laborte raced to a 7-3 lead as Clar struggled to match the Season 86 co-Most Valuable Player (MVP)’s offense. The frame proceeded with both players orchestrating counter runs, as Clar chipped away at Laborte’s advantage only for the Blue Eagle to pad his lead back up, 14-9. Laborte successfully kept UP at bay, taking Ateneo’s first set of the day by sneaking in a shot which forced Clar to a net hit, 21-17.

The second set saw an even more cardiac affair, as both Katipunan-based players refused to give the other any space to breathe, 6-6. Midway through the set, Laborte fell victim to Clar’s heightened offensive and defensive activity, plunging him into a 11-16 deficit. With the set looking bleak for Laborte at 15-19, the Blue Eagle shook off the pressure and mounted a spirited rally to deadlock the frame at 2o-apiece. With momentum on his side, Ateneo’s star shuttler banked on his pristine placement and accuracy, winning two massive close-range exchanges to steal the set, 22-20, and grabbing the defending champions’ first team-tie win in the semifinals.

After Laborte’s resounding triumph, Vargas and Team Captain and co-MVP Pingkoy Salvado eyed down a tide-changing team-tie lead in a doubles match versus UP’s Tonton Bernal and Enzo Rivera. The Salvado-Vargas duo initially played on the heels of the Fighting Maroons early on in the first frame, 6-8. However, with stacking errors plaguing the Diliman-based shuttlers, the Blue Eagles generated a 5-1 run to take control of the set, 11-9. With momentum on their side, the duo remained in the driver’s seat from thereon, securing a 21-18 set win.

Riding high off their first-set victory, Ateneo soared to a 9-2 lead early in the second frame. Even with the Fighting Maroons’ stunning 7-1 salvo, Ateneo still entered the midway break with an 11-9 advantage. Determined to take the team-tie lead, the Blue and White held on for the rest of the set, clinching the win off consecutive smashes from Vargas, 21-17.

With a 2-1 team-tie advantage, second doubles pair Robert Ramos and Laborte aimed to seal the deal against Jewel Albo and Raydric Abinales. The Blue Eagle pairing managed to stay within striking distance of the Fighting Maroons in the first set, keeping the deficit to just two at the halfway point, 9-11. Returning from the brief break, Ramos and Laborte surged ahead, orchestrating a relentless 12-3 run to take the first set, 21-14.

The duo was then greeted with an offensive barrage by a desperate UP tandem in the opening moments of the second set, 0-4. Unsuccessful in cleaning up their play, Ateneo entered the halfway mark trailing due to multiple net errors, 7-11. While the Blue Eagles tried to regain control of the set, Ramos and Laborte ultimately yielded as Albo and Abinales put together a set-clinching scoring run, 16-21.

Eager to counter, the Atenean pairing came out guns blazing in the third and final set with a 5-1 run, as they looked to clinch a finals berth for the Loyola Heights-based team. UP once again staunchly retaliated with quick hits to cut the deficit, but the Blue Eagles managed to stay in front with good reads, 11-9.

Continuing their mastery, Ramos and Laborte executed textbook plays while capitalizing on UP’s faults, increasing their lead to six with a finals slot within reach, 18-12. Wrapping up the semis, it was Ramos’ emphatic smash that sent Ateneo to its fourth straight finals, 21-15.

The Blue and White will face the Bulldogs in the Season 87 championship match tomorrow, October 30, at 8:00 AM in the same venue.

Team-tie Score:

Ateneo-UP: 3-1

Results:

First Singles: Albo (UP) def. Vargas (Ateneo), 21-19, 21-16

Second Singles: Laborte (Ateneo) def. Clar (UP), 21-17, 22-20 

First Doubles: Salvado and Vargas (Ateneo) def. Bernal and Rivera (UP), 21-18, 21-17

Second Doubles: Ramos and Laborte (Ateneo) def. Albo and Abinales (UP), 21-14, 16-21, 21-15