THE ATENEO Lady Eagles fell 2-3 against De La Salle University (DLSU) in Day 5 of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Women’s Lawn Tennis tournament on Sunday, March 4 at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center in Manila.
In the first doubles match, Annika Mallari and Jana Pages returned from their win last weekend to face Jenni Dizon and Nikki Arandia. While the Lady Eagle duo lost out 1-6 in the first set, they stretched their DLSU counterparts to a tiebreaker in the second set, where costly errors doomed the former to a 4-7 tiebreak loss.
In the second singles match, DLSU’s Jed Aquino won four straight games against rookie Carmen So to take the first set, 5-7. So was unable to recover, as she conceded the match, 5-7, 3-6, leaving the Lady Archers a win away from their first team tie victory of the season.
Martina Bautista gave the Katipunan-based side a lifeline, however, after extending her match to a third set. Upon the rookie’s return to the first singles court, she outlasted Kylla Orillosa in a near two and a half hour marathon match. After dropping the first set, 2-6, Bautista attacked Orillosa’s backhand and added more variety to her shots, which proved effective in sealing a 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 win to keep Ateneo in the game.
Meanwhile, Nicole Amistad and Jana Hernandez returned to winning ways after last weekend’s loss, blitzing to a 6-0, 6-0 win in less than an hour, which left teammate Khrizelle Sampaton to duel Rachel De Guzman for the deciding match.
Aware of the high stakes, Sampaton struck her opponent with a barrage of strong groundstrokes that met resilient defense from De Guzman. After costly errors plagued Sampaton a 2-6 first set loss, the veteran bounced back with steadier play in the second set, where she took a gusty 7-5 win to force a third set decider. The dying moments of the team tie proved to be a one-sided affair. Bothered by the heat, Sampaton conceded the third set, 0-6, handing DLSU their first win of the season.
Despite the disappointing defeat, the Lady Eagles’ journey to the finals continues as a result of the University of Santo Tomas’ (UST) 4-1 win against the University of the Philippines (UP), which provides a guaranteed finals slot against the Lady Tigresses.
The Lady Eagles resume action in the last elimination round tie against the undefeated Lady Tigresses on Sunday, March 11 at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center, Manila.
Team Tie Score
Ateneo 2 DLSU 3
Set Scores
1st singles: Martina Bautista (Ateneo) def. Kylla Orillosa (DLSU) 2-6, 6-4, 6-2
2nd singles: Jed Aquino (DLSU) def. Carmen So (Ateneo) 5-7, 3-6
3rd singles: Rachel De Guzman (DLSU) def. Khrizelle Sampaton (Ateneo) 2-6, 7-5, 0-6
1st doubles: Jenni Dizon and Nikki Arandia (DLSU) def. Annika Mallari and Jana Pages (Ateneo) 1-6, 6(4)-7(7)
2nd doubles: Nicole Amistad and Jana Hernandez (Ateneo) def. Kiana Gacias and Annika Silangcruz (DLSU) 6-0, 6-0
