THE ATENEO Women’s Tennis Team (AWTT) absorbed a 1-4 defeat to the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Lady Tennisters in their second round opener of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 88. The match was held earlier today, March 1, at the Colegio San Agustin Tennis Stadium in San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan. 

The setback adds another challenging outing for the Blue Eagles in their UAAP campaign, with a 0-5 win-loss record.

Opening the tie in first singles was veteran Angela Buyante, who took on UST’s Kaye Emana. In an effort to establish rhythm, Buyante capitalized on her opponent’s baseline play. However, the Lady Tennister controlled the exchanges to secure the match, 0–6, 1–6, giving UST the early advantage.

In the hopes of leveling the tie, Blue Eagle Casey Padilla went against Mica Emana in the second singles. Padilla showed grit in the extended rallies and looked to dictate the pace of the match with her mastery. Yet, the España-based unit maintained composure throughout the backend of the match, handing Ateneo a 3–6, 2–6 setback and a 0–2 team-tie deficit.

With the Blue Eagles needing a spark, veteran Althea Ong recalibrated her strategy, hoping to deliver an advantage for the Blue Eagles in the third singles against Kaye Mustaza. After dropping the first set, 2–6, Ong regrouped and elevated her consistency—grinding out a tightly contested second-set tiebreak, 7–6(1). 

Riding that momentum, Ong took control in the decider, 6–2, to put the Blue Eagles on the board and keep the tie alive, 1-3.

Needing a sweep in doubles to stay in contention, Zaina Arianna Omar and Elohgracie Castolo challenged Lady Tennisters Judy Padilla and Nicholas Dela Rita in the first doubles. However, despite their efforts to disrupt UST’s tempo, the Blue Eagles were unable to recover from the early surge, falling to a 0–6, 0–6 score at the end of the match.

In the dead rubber match, Althea Rose Martirez and Chelsea Roque looked to close the day on a positive note, as they contested UST’s Justine Maneja and Christine Gulagula. The Katipunan-based duo battled through a competitive second set. Yet, their strenuous feat ultimately yielded to UST, 3–6, 5–7, sealing the 1–4 overall result.

Hoping to seek redemption, the AWTT seeks to battle the NU Lady Bulldogs on Saturday, March 7, 11 AM, at the same venue.

Team-Tie Score:

Ateneo-UST: 1-4

Results:

1. First Singles: Emana, Kaye (UST) def. Buyante (Ateneo), 6-0, 6-1
2. Second Singles: Emana, Mica (UST) def. Padilla (Ateneo), 6-3, 6-2
3. Third Singles: Ong (Ateneo) def. Mustaza (UST), 2-6, 7-6(1), 6-2
4. First Doubles: Padilla and Dela Rita (UST) def. Omar and Castolo, 6-0, 6-0
5. Second Doubles: Maneja and Gulagula (UST) def. Martirez and Roque, 6-3, 7-5

Current Standings (W-L):

1. UST Lady Tennisters (4-1)
2. UP Fighting Marrons (3-1)
3. NU Lady Bulldogs (3-2)
4. DLSU Lady Tennisters (2-3)
5. Ateneo Blue Eagles (0-5)