Green Tennisters endure scorching sweep from NU
The De La Salle University (DLSU) Green Tennisters (1–5) endured their fifth loss against the NU Bulldogs (3–3) yesterday, 0–5, to end the Round 1 of UAAP S85 Men’s Tennis at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex.
EJ Geluz of the Green Tennisters started first in singles against Vince EJ Tugade of the NU Bulldogs. Tugade landed the opening hit, and the two players quickly began sparring. Geluz tried to wear Tugade out by hitting balls to the far reaches of the court, only for Tugade to show off his agility and startle Geluz by not allowing the ball to go out of bounds. Eventually, Tugade won the opening set, 0–6, from the momentum that followed soon after the pair’s duel. Geluz was able to close the gap on Tugade, who managed a couple of deuces during the second set. However, towards the latter part of the second set, the former was hampered by service faults, which Tugade paired with rapid smashes, resulting in the Bulldog coming in for the last pounce to win the second set, 4–6.
The opening doubles match transpired simultaneously between Green Tennisters Enzo Enriquez and Kevin Garrido and Bulldogs Gab Bandoquillo and Ibarra Ortega. After sending the Archers to the far sides of the court, the Bulldogs went directly to wearing out the Taft-based pair, constantly directing smashes to La Salle’s center court. This play established a strong momentum in favor of NU, allowing them to win two sets with the same score, 1–6, 1–6.
The second singles match featured a deuce showdown between La Salle’s Mark Crisosto and Aljon Talatayod of the Bulldogs. Crisosto asserted dominance by scoring the opening point, and the game shortly came to a standstill as the two players battled for the lead until Talatayod eventually outran Crisosto in the first set, 3–6. Talatayod maintained his momentum as he pulled away in the second set, not allowing Crisosto to win a single game for the whole set, 0–6.
During the second doubles match, Matt Palasan and RJ Virrey hit deuces with NU’s Rucel Cero and Feb Deja, almost starting a revenge sequence. The former almost caught up to the latter, but the Bulldogs outran the Archers late in the set, winning 3–6. The La Salle duo maintained their momentum and were successful in their aim to frighten the NU pair, but the latter was able to pull away owing to the ball straying out of bounds multiple times in favor of NU as the opponent locked in another set with their jaws, 4–6.
Yesterday’s match was concluded by Green Tennister Fernando Po and NU Bulldogs’ Jude Andre Ceniza in the third singles. Po kept the Animo spirit alive by challenging Ceniza throughout both games, even outrunning the Bulldog’s clutches and grabbing the lead numerous times in the first set. However, the Bulldogs were not prepared to accept even one set loss from yesterday’s matches, as Ceniza won the first set, 3–6. Despite the scorching heat, Po maintained his pace and hit many bullseyes with his racket. Ceniza also committed faults during the second set, allowing Po to gain significant advantages. Both players were hampered by service faults in the last set, but a final service fault by Po secured the match in favor of the Bulldogs, completing their day sweep, 4–6.
