THE ATENEO Men’s Lawn Tennis Team’s losing skid extends to four games after a 1-4 loss to the University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons in their University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 87 second round opener. The Katipunan rivalry match occurred in the Felicisimo Ampon Tennis Center earlier today in the City of Manila.
The result keeps Ateneo at fifth place with a 2-5 win-loss record at the halfway point of the season.
Team Co-captain JD Velez started off the Blue Eagles’ day with a singles showdown against Aslan Carbonilla. Velez and Carbonilla traded blows at the start of their duel, leading to a 4-4 deadlock in the first set. However, Carbonilla’s careful shot selection allowed him to break away, causing Velez to lose the first set, 4-6.
Velez then bounced back and manufactured an early 3-1 lead in the second set. With excellent ball placement and strong volleys, the Blue Eagle kept his foe at bay and tied the ball game in dominant fashion, 6-2.
Similar to the opening frame, the deciding set saw a tightly contested matchup, with long back-and-forth rallies eventually leading to a 5-all deadlock. However, Velez’s overhand smashes proved too much for Carbonilla to handle, as the Atenean secured the set, 7-5, and the first team-tie for the Blue Eagles.
Blue and White rookie Gab Quintana then faced Miguel Iglupas in the second singles bout. Throughout the first frame, Quintana struggled to find his footing, leading to a love set in UP’s favor. Despite aiming to bounce back, the rookie still could not find an answer to Iglupas’ mastery, surrendering the second set and the match in another sweep, 0-6.
In the final singles match, Ateneo skipper Stef Gurria went toe-to-toe with UP’s Lance Fernandez. Gurria started off strong as he looked to avenge Quintana’s defeat, establishing an early 3-1 lead in the first set. However, Fernandez quickly answered with a 4-2 run to put the game in a stalemate. Riddled by errors, the Blue Eagle ultimately faltered despite his strong start, 5-7.
The team captain began the second set looking to answer back, relying on his excellent shot variety to race to a 2-0 cushion. However, Fernandez immediately bounced back once again with strong forehand smashes of his own to tie the game at 3-apiece. Gurria tried to regain his momentum, but Fernandez never looked back as the Blue Eagle was unable to generate a response and extend the match, 3-6.
Ateneo’s duo of JB Cuarto and Aidyll Ignacio faced off against UP’s Karl Miguel and Andre Jarara in the first doubles match of the day. Cuarto and Ignacio struggled to set the tone of the game, losing in a love set, 0-6. Unable to recover in the second set, the Katipunan-based duo absorbed another sweep, virtually ending Ateneo’s hopes to snap their Season 87 slump.
Eager to help the Blue Eagles walk away with a silver lining, JJ Llavore and Gian Camingue battled against Loucas Fernandez and Raymund Goco. Despite their best attempts, the Blue Eagles were bested by the Fighting Maroons in the first set through a plethora of unanswered attacks, 2-6. The Llavore-Camingue tandem’s struggles continued in the second set, as they surrendered the match and the overall team-tie via a gentleman’s sweep.
The Blue Eagles will aim to end their four-game drought as they clash against the Adamson University Soaring Falcons tomorrow, at 2:00 PM in the same venue.
Team-tie Score:
Ateneo-UP: 1-4
Results:
First Singles: Velez (Ateneo) def. Carbonilla (UP) – 4-6, 6-2, 7-5
Second Singles: Iglupas (UP) def. Quintana (Ateneo) – 6-0, 6-0
Third Singles: Fernandez (UP) def. Gurria (Ateneo) – 7-0, 6-3
First Doubles: Miguel and Jarata (UP) def. Cuarto and Ignacio (Ateneo) – 6-0, 6-3
Second Doubles: Fernandez and Goco def. Llavore and Camingue – 6-2, 6-1
Current Standings (W-L):
- UST Male Tennisters (6-1)
- NU Bulldogs (5-1)
- UP Fighting Maroons (5-2)
- UE Red Warriors (5-2)
- Ateneo Blue Eagles (2-5)
- AdU Soaring Falcons (1-6)
- DLSU Green Tennisters (0-7)
