Defending champion University of Santo Tomas secured its second consecutive victory in the UAAP Men’s Tennis Tournament, edging out University of the Philippines, 3-2, Wednesday at the Felicisimo Ampon Tennis Center in Manila.
In a high-stakes second doubles match, UST’s Steven Sonsona and Symon Jaculan dug deep to overcome UP’s Andrei Jarata and Ava Mandac, clinching a thrilling 7(7)-6(3), 5-7, 10-8 victory to seal the team triumph.
Reigning MVP Nilo Ledama put UST ahead early, surviving a tense first-set tiebreak before dominating UP’s Heinz Carbonilla, 7(7)-6(3), 6-0, in the second singles match.
Building on that momentum, Ericjay Tangub delivered another strong performance, breaking through late in the first set and taking full control in the second to dispatch Loucas Fernandez, 7-5, 6-1, in the first singles match.
UP, however, refused to back down.
Miguel Iglupas kept the Fighting Maroons in the contest, taking charge early and fending off a late surge from UST’s Sebastian Santos to secure a 6-1, 6-4 win in the third singles match.
The Fighting Maroons then forced a decider as Raymund Goco and Lance Fernandez rallied to defeat UST’s Richard Bautista and Nash Agustines in a gripping first doubles match, 4-6, 6-4, 10-5.
With the victory, the Tigers improved to 2-0, while the Fighting Maroons dropped to 2-1, tying National University (NU) for second place.
Later in the day, NU (2-1) scored a mighty 5-0 sweep over last season’s silver medalist Ateneo (1-1).
Angil Balaoing and LJ De Jesus delivered the finishing blow, overpowering Ateneo’s Jean Ignacio and John Gabriel Camingue, 6-3, 6-3, in the first doubles match to secure the win.
Aljon Talatayod of the Bulldogs set the tone early, dismantling Blue Eagle Rafa Mendoza, 6-0, 6-0, in the second singles match.
The Bulldogs’ momentum carried over to the first singles match, where Andrei Padao delivered another flawless performance, sweeping Blue Eagle JB Cuarto, 6-0, 6-0.
EJ Tugade extended NU’s dominance, battling through a grueling third singles match against Ateneo’s JD Velez. After winning a tense first-set tiebreak, dropping the second set, and then regaining control, Tugade sealed the match with a 7(7)-6(5), 2-6, 6-0 victory.
To cap off NU’s dominant performance, Gab Bandoquillo and Christian Padilla edged out Ateneo’s Stefano Gurria and JJ Llavore in a tightly contested second doubles match, 6-3, 7(7)-6(2).
Meanwhile, Adamson broke through for its first win of the season, toppling La Salle, 4-1.
Ramon Bentillo delivered the decisive victory for the Soaring Falcons, grinding out a hard-fought 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 win over La Salle’s Yassan Al-Anazi in the first singles match.
La Salle’s EJ Geluz had earlier put the Green Tennisters on the board, swiftly dispatching Adamson’s Herald Aton, 6-1, 6-3, in the second singles match.
