Ateneo secures spot in finals

A 5-0 win against Adamson put an exclamation point on the Ateneo seniors badminton team’s Season 73 elimination bid. Wanting to bounce back from the loss to UST, the boys in blue dominated the Falcons in lopsided matches last Saturday at the Rizal Memorial Complex.

Ranier Jared Tiam-Lee and Raphael Sanchez hit a road block in a doubles set that threatened Ateneo’s chances of sweeping the games against the Falcons. Hungry for the win, they turned things around by winning the second set. They won the tie-breaking set and a 3-0 advantage that assured the Eagles a win.

Then on Sunday, the Blue Shuttlers secured a spot in the finals after handing DLSU a 3-1 blow in the semis. Top-notch players Toby Gadi and Patrick Natividad closed out the final match with a convincing 21-12, 21-16 win. They blew the competition away for a chance to be hailed UAAP champions.

Ateneo will play for the title against an unbeaten UST team on Sunday, September 26 at the Rizal Memorial Badminton Hall.

RESULTS
Ateneo 5, AdU 0

GAME 1
Patrick Natividad vs. Pechera
21-12, 21-11

GAME 2
Toby Gadi vs. Alcantara
21-9, 21-10

GAME 3
Ranier Jared Tiam-Lee & Raphael Sanchez vs. Olaño & Pechera
11-21, 21-15, 21-16

GAME 4
Toby Gadi & Justin Natividad vs. Pardo & Alcantara
21-7, 21-11

GAME 5
Paolo Sunga vs. So
21-8, 21-12

SEMI-FINALS
Ateneo 3, DLSU 1

GAME 1
Toby Gadi vs. Estanislao
21-14, 22-20

GAME 2
Patrick Natividad vs. Martinez
21-12, 21-13

GAME 3
Paolo Sunga & Justin Natividad vs. Estanislao & Claristo
19-21, 18-21

GAME 4
Toby Gadi & Patrick Natividad vs. Chan & Martinez
21-12, 21-16