THE ATENEO Blue Eagles began their title defense campaign with a 5-0 sweep of the Adamson University (AdU) Soaring Falcons. The opener was held earlier today at the Rizal Memorial Badminton Hall in the City of Manila.

This victory against the Soaring Falcons jumpstarts the Blue Eagles’ season to 1-0 in the win-loss column of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 87 Men’s Badminton Tournament.

Season 86 Most Valuable Player (MVP) Lryden Laborte kicked off the Blue Eagles’ matches with a 2-0 singles win over AdU’s Kyrik Roldas. Starting down 0-2 in the first set, Laborte scored nine unanswered rallies that set the tone for the rest of the match, eventually closing out his adversary at 21-10 to take the opening set. The following set would see the MVP carry over his momentum with a commanding victory, 21-7, to gain the Blue Eagles’ first team-tie point.

In the second singles match, Team Captain and Season 86 co-MVP Pingkoy Salvado dispatched Nathaniel Acedillo in two straight sets, obtaining another team-tie point for the Blue and White. Although down four points early in the first set, 1-5, Salvado quickly summoned a mid-set surge of his aggressive attacks to claim a 21-17 set victory. The skipper continued showcasing his stellar form into the subsequent frame, decisively closing out his bout with a 20-14 win in the second set.

Robert Ramos was joined by Laborte to capture the overall victory as they faced Gabriel Ganoy and Noel Hernandez in the first doubles match of the morning. The Blue Eagles threatened to run away with a 4-0 rally, but the Soaring Falcons’ persistence managed to cut the lead to just two, 15-13. Despite a late run at the end of the set, the Atenean duo shut down any comeback attempt with a 21-18 win. The Katipunan-based pair continued much of their offense, closing the set at 21-11 to clinch the match for Ateneo.

In the second doubles match, Blue Eagles’ Allen Penute and Charles Bagasbas snatched two wins against the Soaring Falcons’ Julious Fontanilla and Acedillo. Both teams traded blows in the first set, as neither side could gain a large advantage, until Ateneo closed the final stretch with fierce rallies to capture four straight points, 21-18. The second set mirrored much of the first, with both squads leaving little room to breathe. However, Ateneo prevailed, taking the set 21-17 and extending the team-tie point to 4-0.

Rookie of the Year awardee Lance Vargas stepped up to the court to close out Ateneo’s first game with a dominant outing over Adamson’s Jhon Dema-ano. Powerful smashes and quick reflexes proved to be enough for Vargas to claim both sets, 21-9 and 21-8 respectively, to close out the Blue and White’s successful Season 87 debut.

The Blue Eagles will look to continue their winning ways as they take on the De La Salle University Green Shuttlers tomorrow, October 13, at 8:00 AM in the same venue.

Team-tie Score:

Ateneo-AdU: 5-0

Results:

First Singles: Laborte (Ateneo) def. Roldas (AdU), 21-11, 21-7

Second Singles: Salvado (Ateneo) def. Acedillo (AdU), 21-17, 21-14

First Doubles: Laborte & Ramos (Ateneo) def. Hernandez & Ganoy (AdU), 21-18, 21-11

Second Doubles: Penute & Bagasbas (Ateneo) def. Fontanillo & Acedillo (AdU), 21-18, 21-17

Third Singles: Vargas (Ateneo) def. Dema-ano (AdU), 21-9, 21-8

Current Standings (W-L):

1. ATENEO Blue Eagles (1-0)
2. UP Fighting Maroons (1-0)
3. NU Bulldogs (1-0)
4. DLSU Green Shuttlers (0-1)
5. UST Tiger Shuttlers (0-1)
6. AdU Soaring Falcons (0-1)