THE ATENEO Men’s Table Tennis Team steamrolled past its last three assignments in round robin play to clinch their spot as the second seed, booking their ticket to the Final Four.
The final elimination round gameday of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 88 was held earlier today, November 19, at the Amoranto Sports Complex in Quezon City.
En route to qualifying for the semifinals with a 9-3 record, the Blue Eagles took down the University of the East (UE) Red Warriors, Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws, and Adamson University (AdU) Soaring Falcons to cap off the elimination round.
8:00 AM match vs. UE
The Blue Eagles set the tone of the day with a near-flawless performance against the Red Warriors. Team Captain Andrew Uy wasted no time in disposing of his Recto-based adversary in the first singles, putting away UE’s Johnster Rosales in straight sets, 11-9, 11-6, 12-10.
Veteran Drozle Fresco put up a similarly dominant outing in the second singles, outclassing Red Warrior Kurt Villarico in an identical sweep. In swift fashion, Fresco opened up with an 11-6 set win, outlasted Villarico in a 19-17 second-set dogfight, and clinched Ateneo’s 2-0 lead off an 11-7 finisher.
Capping off the Blue and White’s sweep of UE, the duo of Gab Docto and CJ Yamson stepped up for doubles action against John Louie Alcantara and Miguel Panelo. Although stumbling in the opening frame, 7-11, the pairing never looked back and decisively took each set from thereon, 11-2, 11-7, 11-6, to seal the victory for Ateneo.
10:30 AM match vs. FEU
Determined to build on their perfect outing of the day, the Blue and White’s Kong Cabrido dueled FEU’s Dane Piala. Their opening duel saw Co-Captain Cabrido overwhelm his competition, breaking open the first set with confidence, 11-4. Despite a fierce return from the Tamaraws, the Atenean claimed momentum to clinch back-to-back sets, sweeping his opponent in the last two sets, 11-9, 11-7.
Looking to double down on his Co-Captain’s performance, Wrency Abad faced off against the Tamaraws’ Arsenio De Guzman. While the Blue Eagle veteran took the first set with ease, 11-3, he dropped the following battle as his offense lagged behind, 6-11. Bouncing back to break the game’s deadlock, Abad outplayed De Guzman perfectly, winning his bout in four sets, 11-8, 11-4.
With another potential sweep on deck, rookie Yamson returned to the court alongside Fresco as they took on Claer Riego and Louis Sacay. In a dogfight through four frames, the Blue Eagles maintained the lead throughout, claiming victory and the sweep, 11-9, 13-15, 11-8, 11-8.
1:30 PM match vs. AdU
In Ateneo’s match against the AdU Soaring Falcons, Cabrido struggled against Amiel Sumadsad in a four-set defeat. The Blue Eagle veteran struggled to finish off his adversary in his first-set scuffle, 12-14. Even with Cabrido taking control in the second set, 7-11, he still met his demise as he fell in consecutive frames, 9-11, 11-13.
Avenging the first match loss, Andree Garcia went against Soaring Falcons’ Manuel Apura. The first frame found the Blue Eagle edging out his competition, 11-7, yet Garcia would fail to capitalize on his momentum as he dropped the second, 6-11. With Ateneo’s match hanging in the balance, Garcia mustered an incredible display of heart and grit as he narrowly snatched victory to keep the Blue Eagles in the lead, 14-12. Newfound energy carried over to the final frame as the Blue Eagles tied the game, 11-4.
In their second outing as a pair, the duo of Fresco and Yamson faced AdU’s Jhon Balucos and Aldrean Gacho. The first set saw both teams go the length, with the Blue Eagles edging out the Soaring Falcons in a thriller, 12-10. Riding their wave of momentum, the Blue and White pair decimated their adversaries in back-to-back sets, 11-4, 11-4, putting them closer to victory.
Looking to finish off the Blue Eagles’ flawless streak of the day, Team Captain Uy returned to the floor, taking on the fierce Amiel Aroma. As the Blue Eagles ace took the first set in a close battle, 11-9, his stamina would falter in the following set, putting the match in a deadlock, 4-11. Keeping his opponent in check, Uy tapped into his veteran prowess to keep the Soaring Falcon at bay and win the pivotal third set, 11-7.
Despite the lead, the Atenean surrendered the fourth set in the closing possessions, 8-11. With the game on the line, Uy displayed his vintage craft as he took AdU’s Aroma end-to-end, winning the set and the overall match, 11-6.
With their Final Four seat locked, the AMTTT will look to make their championship aspirations come true. The Ateneo Blue Eagles aim to chase their title dreams in the stepladder semifinals tomorrow, November 20, at 12:00 PM in the same venue.
Men’s Standings (W-L)
- UST Tiger Paddlers (12-0)*
- ATENEO Blue Eagles (9-3)*
- AdU Soaring Falcons (6-6)*
- DLSU Green Paddlers (5-7)
- FEU Tamaraws (5-7)
- UP Fighting Maroons (5-7)
- UE Red Warriors (0-12)
* – clinched Final Four berth
