THE ATENEO Men’s Lawn Tennis Team (AMLTT) notched their second straight win at the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Men’s Lawn Tennis Tournament, 3-2. Their second matchup of the season against the University of the East (UE) Lawn Tennis Team was held earlier today at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center in the City of Manila.

Kicking off the day for the Blue and White was Noy Seno going up against UE’s Jarell Edangga in the first singles match. The Atenean made quick work of his Recto-based counterpart in the first set, 6-2. In the second set, Seno found himself in a deadlock, 4-4, but managed to string aggressive hits to secure the victory, 6-4.

Meanwhile, the first doubles match featured Nio Tria and Axl Gonzaga taking on Dawson Ormoc and RJ Singson. Both duos exchanged hits in the first set with the score ending at 6-all. However, the Blue Eagles managed to win the tiebreaker for a 7-6 win. The second set would be a better showing as Tria and Gonzaga cruised past their opponents, 6-2.

Ateneo’s Austin Delos Santos was next to take the court in the third singles match against Red Warrior Romeo Largo Jr. Despite a heated exchange early on, the Blue Eagle dropped the first set, 3-6. Capitalizing on his opponent’s errors, Largo Jr handed Ateneo its first loss in the second set, 6-2.

Looking to salvage their fellow teammate, AMLTT skipper Jonelle Llavore and Stefano Gurria squared off against UE’s RJ Baje and Kent Morales. In the first set, the Ateneans faced a 4-5 deficit, but a string of powerful hits propelled them to a comeback finish, 7-5. Despite yielding the second set, 1-6, the Katipunan-based duo were prepared to test their mettle in another competitive final set. However, the Recto-based duo pulled through in a tiebreaker to win the match, 6-7.

Facing a must-win situation, JD Velez took on Marc Suson in the third singles match. The first set was a lopsided affair, with the Red Warrior dominating the match, 6-0. However, the Blue Eagle’s impressive strategies were enough to secure the penultimate set, 6-4, setting up one final match. Sealing the win for Ateneo, Velez’s aggressive hits in the final set another 6-4 scoreline and eventually gave UE its first loss of the season.

With today’s victory, the AMLTT now shares the top spot in the standings alongside the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Male Tennisters, with both squads having identical 2-0 records.

Riding on momentum, the Blue Eagles look to continue their winning ways as they face the Adamson University Soaring Falcons on Saturday, February 24 at 11:00 AM at the same venue.

Team-Tie score: Ateneo-UE: 3-2

First Men’s Singles: Seno def. Edangga, 6-2, 6-4

First Men’s Doubles: Tria & Gonzaga def. Ormoc & Singson, 7-6 (6), 6-2

Second Men’s Singles: Delos Santos defeated by Largo Jr, 3-6, 2-6

Second Men’s Doubles: Llavore & Gurria defeated by Baje & Morales, 7-5, 1-6, 6-7 (7)

Third Men’s Singles: Velez def. Suson, 0-6, 6-4, 6-4

Current Standings (W-L)

ATENEO Blue Eagles (2-0)

UST Male Tennisters (2-0)

UE Red Warriors (2-1)

NU Bulldogs (1-1)

UP Fighting Maroons (1-2)

DLSU Green Tennisters (1-2)

AdU Soaring Falcons (0-3)