THE UST Male Tennisters clinched a second straight title in UAAP men’s lawn tennis after dominating the Ateneo Blue Eagles, 3-1, in the winner-take-all match at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Court on Sunday.
This victory etched UST’s 16th championship title in the men’s division of the sport.
Ateneo grabbed an early lead with Noy Seno’s dominant win, 6-1, 6-0, over UST rookie Christopher Sonsona in the first singles match.
The tide turned in UST’s favor with a strategic doubles win. Season 86 MVP Nilo Ledama and Finals MVP Steven Sonsona combined for a convincing 6-2, 6-1, victory over Ateneo’s Nio Tria and Axl Gonzaga.
Ericjay Tangub added another point for UST with a 6-1, 6-4 win over Austine Delos Santos.
The championship was sealed in the second doubles match, where Richard Bautista and Nash Agustines overpowered JJ Llavore and Stef Guria, 6-4, 6-2.
UST head coach Alexander Diego said strategic adjustments were made after his team’s Game 2 loss.
“We talked with the coaches and players… It was worth it because we got what we wanted,” Diego told The Flame.
The UST Male Tennisters’ lineup in Season 87 will remain intact as there will be no graduating players.
However, it was a different story for the UST Female Tennisters as they were unable to dethrone defending champions NU Lady Bulldogs, 2-3, finishing with a silver medal.
UST got off to a strong start, with senior Alexei Santos securing a 6-3, 6-2 victory over JM Carcueva in the first singles match.
Rookie of the Year Kaye Emana showed no complacency with a convincing 6-4, 6-2 win against Angela Cabaral in the second singles match, putting UST in a comfortable 2-0 lead.
However, the NU Lady Bulldogs’ duo of Alyssa Bornia and Alliah Ragunton ignited a comeback with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Miles Vitaliano and Debbie Gom-os in the first doubles match.
The momentum shifted further towards the Bustillos-based squad when Dana Abad and Rovie Baluete dominated UST’s Minette Bentillo and Nicole Dela Rita, 6-0, 6-4, in the second doubles match, forcing a deciding singles match.
Elsie Abarquez emerged as the hero for NU, defeating UST’s Justine Maneja in the decider with a convincing 6-3, 6-0 victory.
UST head coach Dennis Sta. Cruz attributed NU Lady Bulldogs’ victory to their experience as defending champions.
“We’ve been playing against the defending champions for many years. I guess their upper edge is that they have two doubles that are unbeatable.” Sta. Cruz told The Flame.
The UST Female Tennisters will look to rebuild next season with the graduation of key players Santos and Vitaliano. F
