DESPITE SHOWING grit and determination, the Ateneo Men’s Tennis Team finished their University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 88 campaign with a 1-4 loss against the De La Salle University (DLSU) Green Tennisters. The match occurred earlier today, March 14, at the Colegio San Agustin Bulacan Tennis Stadium in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan.
This defeat puts Ateneo at the bottom of the standings, finishing their season with a winless slate, 0-12.
Kicking off the day for the Blue Eagles, Team Co-Captain JD Velez battled it out against Yassan Al-Anazi of the Green Tennisters. The Blue and White’s veteran made quick work of his Taft-based counterpart, securing a 6-2 victory in the first set. The second set proved to tell the same story, as Velez continued his domination, 6-2. This dominant victory gave Ateneo the lead in the team tie, 1-0.
Eager to widen the lead, Vito Singson went head-to-head against DLSU’s Jose Bernardo. The Blue Eagle struggled to find his footing, succumbing to a 0-6 defeat in the first set. Despite efforts to bounce back, Singson did not have an answer to Bernardo’s offense, absorbing a 1-6 loss in the second set, leveling things up in the team-tie, 1-1.
The Blue and White’s Gabby Calilung then faced off against Elvin Geluz of the Green Tennisters for the final singles match of the day. The rookie could not penetrate Geluz’s defense, absorbing a back-to-back 0-6 defeat and surrendering the lead in the team tie, 1-2.
Eyeing the equalizer in the team tie, Ateneo duo JB Cuarto and JC Pabillore locked horns with DLSU’s Miguel Misa and Kevin Garrido. The two teams went back and forth in the first set; however, the Blue Eagles got outpaced by the Green Tennisters, losing 4-6 in the first set. In the second set, the Katipunan-based duo showed their determination to win, exchanging smashes with Misa and Garrido. Despite these efforts, Cuarto and Pabillore failed to close the frame out, succumbing to a 4-6 defeat and ultimately absorbing the defeat in the team tie, 1-3.
In an effort to conclude their campaign on a high note, Gab Quintana and Lukas Yupangco took the court against Steven Yap and Nonoy Po of the Green Tennisters. The Katipunan-based duo could not find their rhythm in the first set, falling to a 1-6 defeat. Quintana and Yupangco continued to struggle in the second set, which led to a 2-6 setback and a 1-4 final team tie score.
With their season coming to a halt, the AMTT will look to channel their Season 88 experience into growth and progress, as the team aims to regroup and return to the Final Four picture in UAAP Season 89.
Team-tie Score:
Ateneo-DLSU: 1-4
Results:
First Singles: Velez (Ateneo) def. Al-Anazi (DLSU) – 6-2, 6-2
Second Singles: Bernardo (DLSU) def. Singson (Ateneo) – 6-0, 6-1
Third Singles: Geluz (DLSU) def. Calilung (Ateneo) – 6-0, 6-0
First Doubles: Misa and Garrido (DLSU) def. Cuarto and Pabillore (Ateneo) – 6-4, 6-4
Second Doubles: Yap and Po (DLSU) def. Quintana and Yupangco (Ateneo) – 6-1, 6-2
Current Standings (W-L):
- UP Fighting Maroons (10-1)
- UST Tiger Tennisters (8-3)
- NU Bulldogs (8-3)
- UE Red Warriors (7-4)
- DLSU Green Tennisters (4-7)
- AdU Soaring Falcons (2-9)
- ATENEO Blue Eagles (0-12)
