THE ATENEO Men’s Lawn Tennis Team (AMLTT) faced a challenging defeat against the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Tiger Tennisters, 1-4, in their final University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 87 assignment. The second-round iteration of the Season 86 finals rematch took place earlier today at the Felicisimo Ampon Tennis Center in the City of Manila.
With this loss placing the AMLTT at a final win-loss slate of 3-9, the Blue and White finished the season at fifth place in the standings.
After a brief rain shower delayed the match’s start, Ateneo’s Rafa Mendoza started the game against UST’s Christopher Sonsona in the first singles showdown. The Blue Eagle struggled to find his rhythm as Sonsona controlled the pace early to cruise to a 6-0 win in the opening set. Mendoza attempted to adjust in the second set but managed to score only off Sonsona’s unforced errors, leading to Ateneo’s 1-6 loss and UST’s first team-tie win.
Following a tough loss against DLSU, Ateneo’s JB Cuarto sought redemption in the second singles match against Ericjay Tangub. Despite putting up a solid defensive stand, Cuarto found difficulty in countering Tangub’s aggressive play, falling 1-6 in the opening set.
Riding on his first-set dominance, the Male Tennister maintained control in the second frame, leaving Cuarto with few opportunities to turn the tide. Cuarto failed to match Tangub’s relentless play, succumbing to a 0-6 second-set sweep.
In the last singles match of the day, Ateneo’s Gab Quintana found himself thoroughly outmatched by UST’s Nilo Ledama, as he fell to back-to-back sweeps.
Despite going winless in today’s singles matches, the Blue and White did not walk away from their bout versus the defending title-holders completely empty-handed.
The star-studded pairing of Co-Captains JD Velez and Steff Gurria showcased an impressive display of chemistry, adaptability, and IQ to thump España’s Steven Sonsona and Brent Cortes in the first doubles.
The AMLTT’s veteran duo spared no time in establishing control of the game, as Velez settled at the long range while Gurria stood his ground by the net. Courtesy of the latter’s agility and quick reaction at close range, the Blue and White took a decisive 3-0 lead in the opening set.
Quick to respond, UST answered with extreme aggression and athleticism to bring the set to 3-1. However, the Blue Eagles swiftly adjusted to the Male Tennisters’ tactics. With momentum on Velez and Gurria’s side of the court, Ateneo wrapped up set one with a 6-3 win.
The veteran Atenean duo remained poised upon entering set two. Velez commanded the fixture’s pace with controlled yet cannon-like shots from the back end. Getting into their flow, the Blue Eagles displayed a strong coordinated performance, which ultimately led to a 6-1 romp of the top-seeded squad’s duo.
While the first iteration of today’s doubles went in favor of the Blue and White, the second doubles saw a tumultuous three-set battle between Ateneo’s JJ Llavore and Gian Camingue against UST’s Richard Bautista and Geo Serino.
The Blue Eagles entered the Ateneo’s final faceoff of the season with a quick 2-0 advantage, bringing them in high spirits early on. However, the Tiger Tennisters’ variety of tactics forced errors on the AWLTT duo’s end, evening it up at 2-2.
The remainder of the set then witnessed a tedious push-and-pull characterized by millisecond readjustments for the Blue and White. With fatigue and frustration kicking in by the time of the set-determining game, the UST pairing nagged the set-point following a lengthy rally, 5-7.
In an attempt to alleviate the set loss, Llavore and Camingue exhibited more vigor in the second set. Although the Tiger Tennisters held a 4-1 lead, the Loyola Heights-based duo etched their grit into the competition after enduring long rallies and chasing after every returned ball. The hustle shifted the narrative to the Blue Eagles, who capitalized on UST’s gaps to force a remarkable 6-4 comeback set win.
The final set of Ateneo’s season stood as the ultimate test of endurance and tenacity for Llavore and Camingue. Characterized by an equal showing of high-caliber tennis from both ends, the set entailed two ties at the eighth and 10th points. To the misfortune of the Atenean tandem, however, the match went to the Tiger Tennisters, 12-10, after an unforced Blue Eagle error.
To properly bid farewell to their UAAP Season 87, the AMLTT’s Co-Captains shared thoughts after their recently concluded tournament.
“Proud ako sa amin–sa aming lahat–kasi sobrang sarap na i-represent ‘yung school ng Ateneo. So, kahit ganun, [nakita ko] ‘yung fighting spirit namin, kung paano namin nilaban ‘yung bawat point, [kaya naging] proud ako sa team,” Gurria said on his team’s performance in their season-closer.
(I’m proud of all of us because it’s such a great feeling to represent Ateneo. So, even if it ended like that, [I saw] our fighting spirit, how we fought for each point. [That’s why] I’m proud of the team.)
Velez also emphasized what there was to learn, especially considering the shift that the squad underwent in their roster.
“We admit that we lost key players talaga, but it didn’t hinder us to really fight for the school. I think that’s our biggest takeaway talaga: It’s to fight for the school because we were given the privilege talaga to represent Ateneo,” the skipper shared.
For the ALMTT, this experience only marks the rebuilding of the glory that is to come for them moving forward.
Team-tie Score:
Ateneo-UST: 1-4
Results:
First Singles: Sonsona (UST) def. Mendoza (Ateneo) — 6-0, 6-1
Second Singles: Tangub (UST) def. Cuarto (Ateneo) — 6-1, 6-0
Third Singles: Ledama (UST) def. Quintana (Ateneo) — 6-0, 6-0
First Doubles: Velez and Guirria (Ateneo) def. Sonsona and Cortes (UST) — 6-3, 6-1
Second Doubles: Bautista and Serino (UST) def. Llavore and Camingue (Ateneo) — 7-5, 4-6, 12-10
Final Standings (W-L):
- UST Tiger Tennisters (11-1)
- NU Bulldogs (10-2)
- UE Red Warriors (8-4)
- UP Fighting Maroons (7-5)
- ATENEO Blue Eagles (3-9)
- AdU Soaring Falcons (2-10)
- DLSU Green Tennisters (0-11)
