DESPITE THEIR valiant efforts, the Ateneo Blue Eagles fell short of forcing a third meeting for the crown, falling to the National University (NU) Bulldogs, 1-3, in the second game of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 82 Men’s Badminton Finals on Saturday, October 5, at the Camp Crame Gymnasium in Quezon City. The result awarded NU their sixth straight UAAP title, while Ateneo finished in second place.
In the first singles match, the Blue Eagles opted to field Team Captain Fides Bagasbas against NU’s Frell Gabuelo. Bagasbas went on to win Ateneo’s only team-tie point of the day in three sets. The veteran Blue Eagle took the first set, 21-18, dropped the second, 11-21, and bounced back to take the third, 21-17, after an error from Gabuelo.
Ateneo’s Co-captain Keoni Asuncion hoped to build on the momentum against NU’s Solomon Padiz in the second singles match. Asuncion kept the first half of the first set close, but Padiz began to pull away after the break, increasing his three-point lead to 12 by the end, 9-21. The second set was more of an even contest, but Padiz capitalized on Asuncion’s errors to pull NU level in the team-tie, 21-14.
Bagasbas and Jeno Cariño took to the stage for a showdown with NU’s James Villarante and Julius Villabrille. NU came out of the gates strong, taking the first game, 21-18, after leading for most of the way. In the second set, unrelenting attacks from Villarante and Villabrille prevented Ateneo from finding the upper hand. Bagasbas and Cariño buckled down and pushed the Bulldog tandem to a tie at match point. Villarante and Villabrille kept their cool and escaped with a 23-21 victory, giving the Blue Shuttlers one last chance to survive facing a 1-2 team-tie deficit.
With Ateneo’s championship campaign on the line, Asuncion and Arthur Salvado led the final charge in a duel against NU’s Gabuelo and Padiz. The Bulldogs went on to draw first blood, 21-17. Asuncion and Salvado hit their strides in the second game, overcoming a bevy of early errors and performing late-game magic to keep the team’s hopes alive. The Blue Eagle duo coolly delivered the second set, 23-21, after erasing Gabuelo and Padiz’s 19-14 advantage.
However, NU outclassed them in the third and deciding set. Despite Asuncion and Salvado’s momentum, the Bulldogs took off on a punishing run after the break, tacking on an eight-point lead, 8-16. This time, the tide was too high for Asuncion and Salvado to overcome. Gabuelo and Padiz sealed NU’s Finals win with a commanding 14-21 victory.
As the sun sets on Ateneo’s momentous Season 82 Finals run, the boys in blue walk away with an impressive silver finish and the glory of their best season in years—a fitting farewell to the college careers of co-captains Bagasbas and Asuncion.
Team-tie scores:
First Singles: Fides Bagasbas (Ateneo) defeated Frell Gabuelo (NU) 2-1: 21-18, 11-21, 21-17
Second Singles: Keoni Asuncion (Ateneo) defeated by Solomon Padiz (NU) 0-2: 9-21, 14-21
First Doubles: Fides Bagasbas and Jeno Cariño (Ateneo) defeated by James Villarante and Julius Villabrille (NU) 0-2: 18-21, 21-23
Second Doubles: Keoni Asuncion and Arthur Salvado (Ateneo) defeated by Solomon Padiz and Frell Gabuelo (NU) 1-2: 17-21, 23-21, 14-21
