NATIONAL University (NU) scored a double via sweeps of University of the Philippines (UP), 3-2, in the men’s final and Ateneo, 3-1, in the women’s gold medal play of the National College Tennis Team Championships at the Philippine Columbian Association (PCA) outdoor courts in Paco, Manila, recently.
Vince Tugade delivered in the clutch to beat Zire Mina, 4-1, 4-1, in the deciding singles after UP’s Walther Luzon and Rafael Liangco repelled NU’s Ibarra Ortega and Jules Lazaro, 4-2, 4-2, to sweep the doubles and force a 2-2 count in the best-of-five tie.
But the Bulldogs stamped their class in individual play as skipper Jude Ceniza turned back Loucas Fernandez, 4-1, 5-3, in the first singles and Aljon Talatayod routed Janus Ringia, 4-1, 4-1, after the pair of Jonas Silva and Karl Miguel outlasted Feb Deja and Rucell Cero, 4-2, 3-5, 10-2.
The victory was a big shot in the arm for the Bulldogs, who placed third here last year and reached the semifinals of the PCA Open inter-collegiate tournament.
“We did not lose hope. As what coach Bobby (Esquivel) told us, whatever the result, as long as we give our best,” Ceniza said.
But the Lady Bulldogs banked on a strong start to get past the Lady Eagles, winning the first two matches on Elizabeth Abarquez’s 4-0, 4-0 romp over Francesca Cruz in singles and Danna Abad and Rovie Baulete’s tough 1-4, 5-4(5), 10-8 victory over Melanie Dizon and Mariam Garsin in the doubles.
Althea Ong kept Ateneo in the hunt with 4-1, 4-1 win over Jan Anghag in the second singles but Allyssa Bornia and Alliah Ragunton smothered siblings Gabby and Nina Sandejas, 4-0, 4-1, in the other doubles to wrap up the tie.
“We joined this tournament for exposure. We have to be competitive to defend our [University Athletic Association of the Philippines] title,” said Bornia, who will lead NU’s campaign for a sixth straight UAAP crown in three weeks.
The 23-year-old Bornia captured last year’s PCA Open and teamed up with Shaira Rivera to nail the doubles trophy in the inaugural Rina Cañiza Women’s Open recently.
University of Santo Tomas’s (UST) Nilo Ledama, meanwhile, foiled Tugade’s bid for a sweep, scoring a 4-0, 5-3, in the men’s singles individual final while De La Salle’s Mikaela Vicencio also foiled NU’s Abarquez, 5-4(3), 4-1, for the women’s singles diadem.
Richard Butista and Ericjay Tangub, also of UST, repulsed University of the East’s Stephen Guia and Marc Suson, 4-2, 5-4(3), while Ateneo’s Ong and Tracy Llamas ripped UP’s Bianca Pica and Dana Regala, 4-1, 4-1, to split the doubles titles of the event which served as part of the Palawan Pawnshop-Palawan Express Pera Padala tennis program, led by president and CEO Bobby Castro.