FOLLOWING A difficult opening weekend, the Ateneo Men’s Tennis Team (AMTT) failed to find momentum against the National University (NU) Bulldogs, 0-5, in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 88 Men’s Tennis Tournament. The match occurred earlier today, February 18, at the Colegio San Agustin Tennis Stadium in the City of Bulacan.
This defeat places the Blue Eagles at 0-3 in the win-loss column, keeping them at the bottom of the tournament standings.
Opening the day for the Blue Eagles, Gabby Calilung was unable to contain the Bulldogs’ Julius Lazaro, overpowered by the offensive output of his adversary, 0-6. Exciting exchanges occurred in the following set as Calilung sent back strong serves, but ultimately failed to crack Lazaro’s ironclad defense, 1-6.
Determined to put the Blue and White on the board, Team Captain JD Velez took on NU’s Isaac Lim in the second singles match. The opening set saw a contested battle that showcased the two-way brilliance of both players. Velez matched the prowess of his opponent by going end-to-end in a battle that reached a tiebreaker. However, the Ateneo ace barely missed the mark to finish the set, conceding to Lim, 5-7.
The second set ended in similar fashion, as Velez did not let his loss dictate his high level of play. Despite managing to push the Bulldog into another standstill, fatal errors would cost the Ateneo tenniser the match, 5-7.
With the match hanging in the balance, Gab Quintana stepped on the hard clay in a bout against NU’s Alexis Acabo. In two sets, the Blue and White athlete failed to capture momentum as he was overwhelmed by his opponent’s fiery offense. Even with a few close calls that could have gone the Blue Eagle’s way, Quintana fell in straight sets, 0-6, 0-6, ending Ateneo’s day with a team-tie defeat.
In the first doubles match held for formality, JB Cuarto and Lucas Yupangco took on the pair of Angil Balaoing and Christian Padilla. The Katipunan-based duo experienced difficulty in getting their offensive shots past the defenders, as they were outmatched in the first set, 1-6. A stronger showing in the second set gave life for the Blue Eagle pair, but their efforts did not translate into points as the duo fell to their opponent, 1-6.
To end the day, the Blue Eagles sent out JC Pabillore and Vito Singson to face off against the Bulldogs’ Miguel Vicencio and Kristopher Espinosa. The duo battled for control in the opening set, but failed to disrupt their adversary’s momentum on offense, 1-6. The Blue Eagle pair found more success in the following set, standing equal with the Bulldogs pair by exchanging scores. However, Ateneo lost their steam towards the end of the battle, as the Blue and White’s output could not match NU’s explosiveness, 3-6.
Looking ahead to collect their first win of the season, the AMTT will go head-to-head against the undefeated UP Fighting Maroons on Saturday, February 21, at 7:30 AM in the same venue.
Team-tie Score:
Ateneo-NU: 0-5
Results:
First Singles: Lazaro (NU) def. Calilung (Ateneo), 6-0, 6-1
Second Singles: Lim (NU) def. Velez (Ateneo), 7-5, 7-5
Third Singles: Acabo (NU) def. Quintana (Ateneo), 6-0, 6-0
First Doubles: Padilla and Balaoing (NU) def. Cuarto and Yupangco (Ateneo), 6-1, 6-1
Second Doubles: Vicencio and Espinosa (NU) def. Pabillore and Singson (Ateneo), 6-1, 6-3
Current Standings (W/L):
- UE Red Warriors (3-0)
- UP Fighting Maroons (2-0)
- UST Tiger Tennisters (1-1)
- NU Bulldogs (1-1)
- AdU Soaring Falcons (1-2)
- DLSU Green Tennisters (1-2)
- ATENEO Blue Eagles (0-3)
