THE ATENEO Men’s Lawn Tennis Team failed to snag a win in its tightly contested match against the University of the East (UE) Red Warriors, 2-3. The Blue Eagles’ 10th match in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 87 Lawn Tennis tournament was held earlier today at the Felicisimo Ampon Tennis Center in the City of Manila.
With a 3-7 record after today’s outcome, the Blue Eagles are officially eliminated from postseason contention.
Kicking off the afternoon session was Blue Eagle Rafa Mendoza, who took on Red Warrior JB Aguilar. In the first set, Mendoza struggled to return Aguilar’s shots which led to a 0-6 shutout. Mendoza initially kept things close in the second set, but UE’s ferocious forehand shots kept the Atenean at bay and gave the Red Warriors the first team-tie point, 1-0.
Looking to even things up, Team Captain Stef Gurria challenged Gerald Gemida in the second singles bout. The duel became a back-and-forth affair in the first set, with no side leaving an inch, but the endurance battle concluded with the Red Warriors taking the victory, 7-5.
Moving to the second set, Gurria faced a tall mountain to climb as he slumped to a 0-3 deficit in the early stages. Remaining unfazed, the Blue Eagle’s tenacity led to an offensive surge that tied up the set, 4-4. With momentum on his side, Gurria ultimately took the set, 6-4, to force a deciding frame.
In the final set, both tennisters were at their wit’s end, as they resorted to high-arcing and down-the-line shots. In the end, Gurria’s veteran prowess prevailed as he put away Gemida, 6-3, to level the team-tie at one apiece.
Continuing the streak of his compatriot, co-captain JD Velez took to the court against Marc Nicole Suson. The Blue Eagle made his presence felt from the get-go, jumping to a 3-1 advantage in the first set. Although Suson mounted a small run, Velez kept his cool under pressure to take the first set, 6-3.
In the second set, Suson built an early lead to separate himself from Velez, 3-1. However, the Atenean responded quickly by reading his opponent’s playing style, unleashing swift shots to silence the Red Warrior and put the Blue Eagles up 2-1 in team-ties.
Kicking off doubles action, JJ Llavore and Gian Camingue donned the Blue and White as they met Kiz Bryan Cinco and Mark Dave Palanas. The Katipunan-based pairing entered the first set on the back foot as they trailed 0-3 against their adversaries. With the Blue and White duo struggling to return Cinco’s emphatic shots, they surrendered the first set by a wide margin, 2-6.
Seeking to rebound on the second set, the Blue Eagles showed newfound aggression as they went blow-for-blow with the Red Warriors. Arriving at the latter stages of the set, miscommunication errors hampered the Blue Eagles as they fumbled their last few scoring opportunities. Due to their miscues, the Katipunan-based pairing suffered a 4-6 defeat, putting the team-tie score at 2-2.
With victory and a path to the Final Four hanging in the balance for Ateneo, sealing the deal fell in the hands of JB Cuarto and Aidyll Ignacio, who faced UE’s Kent Morales and RJ Baje. The Loyola Heights-based tandem capitalized on the errors committed by their rivals in the early stages. However, Morales and Baje eventually found their rhythm and closed the gap, ultimately sealing a come-from-behind first-set win, 6-4.
The Blue Eagles looked to rise to the occasion with one last opportunity to force a deciding set. However, Ateneo’s determination proved futile as they failed to keep up with the Red Warriors, 2-6, sealing a 2-3 team-tie heartbreaker.
While their Final Four hopes are now dashed, the Blue Eagles will nonetheless look to finish their last few games on a high. Their next assignment will be against the winless De La Salle University Green Tennisters on March 29, at 7:00 AM in the same venue.
Team-tie Score:
Ateneo-UE: 2-3
Results:
First Singles: Aguilar (UE) def. Mendoza (Ateneo) – 6-0, 6-1
Second Singles: Gurria (Ateneo) def. Gemida (UE) – 5-7, 6-4, 6-3
Third Singles: Velez (Ateneo) def. Suson (UE) – 6-3, 6-4
First Doubles: Cinco and Palanas (UE) def. Llavore and Camingue (Ateneo) – 6-2, 7-5
Second Doubles: Baje and Morales (UE) def. Cuarto and Ignacio (Ateneo) – 6-4, 6-2
Standings (W-L):
- NU Bulldogs (8-1)
- UST Male Tennisters (8-1)
- UP Fighting Maroons (6-3)
- UE Red Warriors (6-3)
- Ateneo Blue Eagles (3-7)
- AdU Soaring Falcons (2-8)
- DLSU Green Tennisters (0-10)
