Ateneo, NU clinch Final Four spots in men's badminton

UAAP Season 87 Men's Badminton Standings

*Ateneo 3-0

*NU 3-0

UP 2-1

UST 1-2

DLSU 0-3

AdU 0-3

*-Final Four

Ties on Saturday at the Rizal Memorial Badminton Hall

8am - Men's: Ateneo vs UP / UST vs NU / DLSU vs AdU

1pm - Women's: Ateneo vs NU / UST vs UP / DLSU vs AdU

UAAP Season 86 finalists Ateneo De Manila University and National University secured the first two spots in this season's Men's Badminton Tournament Final Four following similar 5-0 sweeps on Sunday at the Rizal Memorial Badminton Hall in Manila.

The Blue Eagles kept its pristine record in matches, 15-0, to go with its unbeaten 3-0 record in the season after taking care of the University of Santo Tomas Golden Shuttlers, with last year's Rookie of the Year Lance Vargas taking care of his two assignments.

The Bulldogs, on the other hand, fashioned out a similar rout of Adamson University, to snag one of the four semifinals tickets, with Season 85 MVP Solomon Padiz Jr. bouncing back after a loss in the previous tie.

Vargas paired up with senior and Season 86 co-MVP Arthur Salvado Jr. in dominating Janzen Panisales and Ron Jacob Galve, 21-10, 21-11 for the squad's eighth straight win dating back to last season. The second-year standout from Bacolod put Ateneo on the board to kick off the sweep, 21-14, 21-18 over Lennox Cuilao.

"Solid performance from the team but we can't be complacent kasi at this point it gets harder every day. So, we are just reminding the boys of our goal and we hope to pull through every game," said Ateneo assistant coach Roy Callanta.

With the pressure of making the semis out of the way, the Blue Eagles face tougher battles ahead against the NU Bulldogs and the University of the Philippine Fighting Maroons on Saturday and the following Sunday, respectively.

"We'll take it one game at a time talaga. Every team tie, every match, and every set, we'll try to break it down para hindi overwhelming. And we'll just tell the boys to bring out their best every game," Callanta added.

Reigning MVP Lyrden Laborte also had a perfect day, going two-of-two, following a 21-7, 21-9 quick work of rookie John Vincent Espinoza in the second singles rubber, and a 21-15, 21-18 decision against Bien Miraflor and Lennox Cuilao in the second doubles with Charles Bagasbas.

Salvado then completed the sweep with a 21-7, 21-14 take of fellow senior Francis Sarmiento in the final singles match.

Padiz Jr. secured the third consecutive win for the Bulldogs, pairing with Jeno Cariño, in a 21-7, 21-14, 26-minute drubbing of Soaring Falcons Gabriel Ganoy and Matt Leda. With James Villarante, the Season 82 Rookie of the Year absorbed his first loss of the tournament last Sunday -- a 22-20, 11-21, 21-23 reversal from UP's Enzo Rivera and Mark Anthony Bernal.

Lanz Zafra and Mark Anthony Velasco set up the heroics from Padiz and Cariño following dominant wins in the first two singles matches. Zafra zoomed past Heaven Linaban, 21-4, 21-12, and Velasco also needed less than half an hour to get Kyrie Roldan, 21-12, 21-5.

Nestojan Tapales and John Benedict Gam had a rousing debut as a pair with a 21-15, 21-9 clinic past Julius Fontanilla and Noel Hernandez, while MJ Perez rounded up the day with a 21-18, 21-16 rout of Nathan Acedillo.

On the other hand, UP survived the upset-conscious De La Salle University for a bounce-back win, 3-2, with rookie Shan Clar winning the deciding, third singles match, 21-13, 21-13 against senior Jason Pajarillo.

The Fighting Maroons needed to fend off the Green Shuttlers twice in the tie after going up 1-0 and 2-1 with Jelo Albo and the pair of Rivera and Bernal putting the Diliman-based side in the lead.

Albo, the Season 85 Rookie of the Year, took care of Miguel Cuarte in 25 minutes, 21-13, 21-6 in the opening singles match. Rivera and Bernal outlasted Yuan Tan and Joshua Morada, 24-22, 22-20 the pivotal second doubles match that was 50 minutes long.

DLSU, which was aiming for a first victory this season, found responses from James Capin and the tandem of Cuarte and Zaki Layno. 

Capin took down fellow second-year upstart Johann Abinales, 21-13, 21-11, while Cuarte and Layno inflicted a 21-14, 21-18 escape of Albo and Joshua Martinez, setting up the decider that eventually went the opponents' way.

UP (2-1) hopes to join Ateneo and NU in the Final Four, but the season host will have to battle the reigning champion Blue Eagles on Saturday at 8 a.m. for that semis berth.

NU will go for a fourth straight victory against the UST (1-2), while DLSU and Adamson will battle for a breakthrough win in the other simultaneous team ties in the same Malate venue.