MANILA -- National University is still undefeated in the UAAP Season 88 men's badminton tournament after a hard-earned 4-1 win over a gritty University of Santo Tomas squad, Wednesday at the Rizal Memorial Badminton Hall in Malate, Manila.
The defending champions shook off a setback in the second singles match against the Golden Shuttlers, with MJ Perez making amends and pairing up with reigning MVP Lanz Zafra to secure the decisive win in the second doubles rubber.
Perez and Zafra dismantled Ron Galve and Bien Miraflor, 21-13, 21-12, giving an undermanned NU squad a crucial victory ahead of their clash with fellow title contenders, University of the Philippines.
"Ok naman naging performance nila kahit may mga natalo ngayon. Wala namang perfect game, so talagang you will win some, and you will lose some. Bumawi na lang next time," said longtime head coach Jaime Llanes. "Pero so far, OK naman ako sa nagiging performance ng team."
(I'm happy with their performance despite suffering some losses. It will not always be perfect; you will win some, and you will lose some. You just need to bounce back next time. But so far, I'm content with how they're playing.)
"At the start pa lang sinabi ko naman this will be a difficult season for us kasi nga marami rin namang magagaling sa ibang schools. Heading do'n sa laban against UP and Ateneo, gusto ko pang makita na mag-push pa sila and ipakita nila yung eagerness nila na manalo."
(Since the start, I have been telling them that this will be a difficult season for us. We're up against talented players from other schools. And heading into our matches against UP and Ateneo, I just want to see them push themselves and show their eagerness to win.)
Zafra put the Jhocson-based squad ahead in style, dominating JM Sison, 21-6, 21-8, in just 30 minutes. Lennox Cuilao, however, leveled the contest with a marathon win over Perez, 23-21, 20-22, 23-21, a match interrupted due to water leaking onto the court from the rain.
James Villarante and John Benedict Gam restored order with a solid 21-15, 21-19 win over John Vincent Espinoza and Janzen Panisales, setting up the clincher for the Bulldogs. Miko Mosarbas then sealed the triumph with a 22-20, 21-17 victory over Angelo Tuazon.
NU and Ateneo de Manila University—dominant 5-0 winners over Adamson University—remain atop the standings with identical 3-0 records.
Arthur Salvado Jr. and Lance Vargas clinched the win with a quick 21-12, 21-10 triumph over Gabrielle Ganoy and Noel Hernandez Jr.
Earlier, Lyrden Laborte and Robbie Ramos gave Ateneo a 2-0 lead.
Laborte, a Season 86 co-MVP, breezed past Kyrik Roldan, 21-4, 21-14, while second-year Ramos took slightly longer to defeat John Russel Oliveros, 21-16, 21-16. The pair then teamed up for a 21-14, 21-11 sweep of John Paul Badang and Eur Cabanducos. Rookie Zeth Quiambao capped the 5-0 victory with a 21-10, 21-15 win over Adamson senior Nathaniel Acedillo.
The Fighting Maroons soared to solo third with a 2-1 record, thanks to Kervin Llanes and Jelo Albo, who delivered a 4-1 victory over De La Salle University’s Green Shuttlers.
The two UP seniors staged a huge first-set comeback to complete a reverse sweep, 26-28, 21-17, 21-17, over Miguel Cuarte and Zaki Layno in the second doubles match that lasted nearly an hour—55 minutes, to be exact.
Albo overcame a slow start to deny DLSU rookie Lovic Javier an upset, 22-20, 21-13, while Cuarte quickly answered with a win over Llanes, 21-11, 23-21.
However, Mark Bernal and Arjay Lazareto secured their second straight win of the season with a 21-18, 21-19 victory over Gift Linaban and Yuan Tan.
The fourth day of the qualifying round is set for Thursday, with the Bulldogs and Fighting Maroons headlining a much-anticipated encounter starting at 8 a.m.
In the other matches, the Blue Eagles will pursue a fourth straight win and a potential solo lead against the dangerous Golden Shuttlers (1-2), while the Soaring Falcons and Green Shuttlers will battle for a breakthrough victory.