The Lawn Tennis Team of Ateneo suffered their fourth loss of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season ’85 against the Fighting Maroons of the University of the Philippines (UP) 2-2. The women’s lawn tennis match was held today at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center in the city of Manila.
The first singles match saw a back-and-forth battle between Francesca Cruz and UP’s Sydney Enriquez. With Cruz unable to stomach a late comeback in the opener, Enriquez managed to secure it 6-2 against the Blue Eagle. Building on a strong performance from the previous set, the Fighting Maroon dropped just two points in the second set to win the match 6-2.
In the first doubles, the blue and white duo of Nina Sandejas and Noelle Urgello took on Bianca Pica and Anica Cari of the Fighting Maroons. Remarkably, Sandejas had impressive counterattacks on the UP duo in the first set. Nevertheless, Pica and Cari were able to keep their composure and win the first set 6-0 against the Blue Eagles.
Sandejas and Urgello improved their strategies in the second set, using UP’s mistakes to get closer to the Fighting Maroons. Despite a late comeback in the second set, the blue-whites finally lost the win 3-6 to UP.
Hoping for the first win, college student Althea Ong took the stage in the second singles match against UP’s Rachel Velez. Ong’s powerful crosscourt shots and impressive receptions quickly secured her the first set, 6-3. Velez’s netball maintained a dominant performance in the second set, forcing her to hand the match to Ong 6-3.
Tracy Llamas and Mariam Garsin aimed to secure another win for the blue-and-whites, meeting UP’s Joshea Malazarte and Jesha Cervantes in the second doubles game. Garsin and Llamas had impressive offensive strategies, maximizing UP’s mistakes to give them the first set 6-4. Malazarte and Cervantes recovered from their first set loss and effectively countered with their aggressive shots to pull away from the Blue Eagles 6-2.
Ateneo and UP then fought a close battle in the deciding third set as both teams displayed impressive offensive and defensive strategies. However, the Katipunan next-door neighbors ultimately prevailed through Llamas and Garsin to secure the match for UP 6-2.
Looking to end the match with a win, co-captain Melanie Faye Dizon faced UP’s Jonamil Prado. The Fighting Maroon struggled to respond to Dizon’s powerful shots as they went 6-2 in the first set. Dizon’s impressive shot placements and defensive counterattacks kept the momentum on her side and led her to win the second set 6-3. Dizon’s dominant performance then earned another point for Ateneo’s team tie, which ended 2-3.
The Blue Eagles now hold a 3-4 record that equates to fourth place in the table. To end Round 2 on an impressive finish, the Blue Eagles will take on the National University Lady Bulldogs at 12:00 p.m. on Sunday, April 16 at the same venue.
Team Tie Score: Ateneo UP: 2-3
First women’s singles: Cruz lost to Enriquez 2-6, 2-6
First women’s doubles: Sandejas & Urgello lost to Pica & Cari 0:6, 3:6
Second women’s singles: Ong def. Velez, 6-3, 6-0
Second women’s doubles: Llamas & Garsin lost to Malazarte & Cervantes 6:4, 2:6, 2:6
Third women’s singles: Dizon def. Prado, 6-2, 6-3
