THE ATENEO Women’s Lawn Tennis Team (AWLTT) fumbled another chance for their first University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 87 win after faltering to the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Lady Tennisters, 1-4. The Blue Eagles’ third Season 87 match happened earlier today at the Felicisimo Ampon Tennis Center in the City of Manila.
With the result, Ateneo slips down to a 0-3 win-loss record as they remain dead last in the standings.
Chelsea Roque was determined to get the Blue Eagles going as she faced off against Thomasian Kaye Emana in the day’s first singles match. Roque struggled in the first set as Enama’s backhand proved too much for the Atenean, 0-6. Trying to mount a comeback, Roque decided to play more aggressively, deploying her close-range game. However, the Atenean would fall short to her Espana-based opponent in a 1-6 defeat.
Ateneo’s Zaina Omar tried bringing her squad their first win of the day as she faced Patricia Lim in the second singles match. Despite the Blue Eagle’s efforts, Omar could not carry her intentions onto the first set as Lim’s well-placed shots and fast serves flustered the Atenean, 0-6.
With her back against the wall, Omar decided to employ a more defensive style of play, but her opponent’s backhand made life difficult. Unable to return her attacks, the Blue Eagle lost the second set, 1-6.
Remaining as a strong point in Ateneo’s tough Season 87 so far, Althea Martirez brought the Blue and White’s first team-tie win of the day against Mica Emana. Martirez would play brilliantly in her first set as her opponent struggled against her volleys, 6-1.
Looking to clinch a sweep, Martirez buckled down despite Emana turning the second set into a back-and-forth slugfest, utilizing her long-range mastery to put the Lady Tennister away for good, 6-4.
Despite opening their matchup fully fueled, Ateneo’s Angela Buyante and Adrianna Cabahug fell victim to UST’s Christine Gulagula and Maria Padilla in the first doubles match. While the first half of the opening set proved to be competitive, UST’s sharp team chemistry left the Blue and White in the backseat, 1-6.
Following a precarious opening frame, the Blue and White duo aimed to reinvent their on-court rhythm, with Cabahug spearheading the attack front. However, despite their extensive efforts to create scoring opportunities, the Blue Eagles conceded the final set against the formidable Thomasian duo, 0-5.
The Blue and White’s Reizel Caco and Audrey Ruiz met the same fate in the second doubles match. With an early slump, Ateneo’s unsteady rhythm allowed UST’s Justine Maneja and Kryshana Brazal to cruise to a 2-0 lead. Despite the Blue Eagles’ commendable efforts to retaliate against UST’s aggressive front, their foes’ athletic prowess eventually bested them, 1-6.
Despite Caco and Ruiz’s laudable attempts for a second-set turnaround, the Blue Eagles ended up submitting to the Lady Tennisters, 1-6.
Speaking on her team’s loss, Ruiz emphasized the importance of staying mentally engaged throughout the match. “I think everyone should just try to be alert on [the] court, be aware of their surroundings, of your point, of what you did wrong, of what the score is, [of] what your opponent is weaker to.”
Eager to end their winless run, the AWLTT will look to shock the National University Bulldogs on Saturday, March 8, at 7:30 AM in the same venue.
Team Tie Score:
Ateneo-UST: 1-4
Results:
First Singles: Emana (UST) def. Roque (Ateneo), 6-0, 6-1
First Doubles: Padilla and Gulagula (UST) def. Buyante and Cabahug (Ateneo), 6-1, 6-0
Second Singles: Lim (UST) def. Omar (Ateneo), 6-0, 6-1
Third Singles: Martirez (Ateneo) def. Emana (UST), 6-1, 6-4
Second Doubles: Brazal and Maneja (UST) def. Ruiz and Caco (Ateneo), 6-1, 6-1
Standings (W-L):
- UST Lady Tennisters (3-0)
- NU Lady Bulldogs (1-0)
- UP Fighting Maroons (1-1)
- DLSU Lady Tennisters (1-1)
- Ateneo Blue Eagles (0-4)
