DESPITE THEIR glorious run to the finals, the Ateneo Men’s Table Tennis Team (AMTTT)’s championship dreams were once again dashed by the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Tiger Paddlers, 1-3, 1-3, for the third straight season.
The highly-anticipated finals of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines’ (UAAP) Season 87 Table Tennis tournament occurred earlier today at the Ayala Malls Manila Bay in Pasay City.
The outcome provided the Blue Eagles with their third consecutive silver medal, adding to their growing collection of podium finishes in the most successful era of Ateneo Table Tennis.
9:oo AM match
Beginning the championship clash for the Blue Eagles, Kong Cabrido faced UST’s Eljey Tormis in an intense opening match. The Katipunan-based paddler underwent adversity, succumbing in two straight lopsided sets, 6-11, 4-11. While Cabrido regained momentum and made the third set a tightly contested affair, the Blue Eagle still found himself overpowered by Tormis, 11-13.
In a similar fashion, France De Asis fell to Alvin Sevilla in quick succession, 8-11, 2-11, 9-11.
Looking to provide a much-needed boost to their squad’s morale, veteran duo Wrency Abad and Drozle Fresco stood opposite Tiger Paddlers Prince Garcia and Abraham Antivo in the first doubles contest of the day. After three sets, 11-6, 6-11 9-11, the Blue Eagles found themselves on the brink of elimination. However, with great resolve, Abad and Fresco dominated the final two sets, 11-5, 11-3, sending the match to a fourth game.
Despite great efforts from Team Captain Andrew Uy, UST’s Ray Manlapaz gave the Blue Eagles their third loss of the first game of the series, 10-12, 12-10, 6-11, 11-13.
12:00 AM match
Commencing the second half of the championship bout, De Asis faced off against UST’s Tormis. Although the veteran clinched the first set courtesy of his precise net plays, De Asis soon fell in three devastating sets, 1-11, 5-11, 3-11, failing to redirect the Tiger Paddler’s spins.
With eyes set on avenging his defeated veteran, UAAP Season 86 Rookie of the Year Andree Garcia challenged the defending Most Valuable Player (MVP) John Michael Castro to an all-out paddle game. Despite this courage, Garcia was no match for the MVP, as the sophomore was defeated in three one-sided sets, 6-11, 8-11, 5-11.
Down 0-2 in team-tie points, the Abad-Fresco combo steeled themselves to take down the UST pairing of Antivo-Prince Garcia and succeeded. The Atenean duo raced to an 11-5 victory in record time, restricting the Tiger Paddlers’ ability to score.
However, the Tiger Paddlers’ clapped back and sparked an 11-6 win off their unyielding drives, completely stripping the Blue Eagles of their momentum. Nonetheless, Ateneo welcomed the pressure and matched UST’s tempo in the succeeding tight-knit frames, 12-10, 8-10. In the final frame, the Blue and White locomotive proved unstoppable, as the two barreled towards an 11-4 triumph to hand Ateneo’s first team-tie point, 1-2.
The duo’s victory appeared to be the catalyst for a potential Ateneo resurgence, with Cabrido swiftly stealing the first set against Alvin Sevilla, 11-3. Unfortunately for Cabrido, the Atenean paddler struggled to counter Sevilla’s attacks, dropping two consecutive sets as a result, 8-11, 8-11.
In a final push to keep Ateneo’s championship hopes alive, the seasoned veteran emerged victorious in the 12-10 thriller to tie his singles match at 2-2. However, with his championship experience, Sevilla patiently waited for the Blue Eagle to commit a critical miss, 11-5, clinching the finals and another championship for the España-based squad.
With this chapter of UAAP Table Tennis reaching its conclusion, the AMTTT turns its focus once again to the offseason as their quest for gold continues in Season 88.
