“Kaya sanang manalo ng mens [badminton team] pero siguro kulang pa kami sa consistency (The men’s badminton team could have won, but I guess we still lack consistency),” shared Shuttlers Mentor Owen Lopez.
The Green Shuttlers were overwhelmed by the defending champion, Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU), 3-2, in their first UAAP Season 75 Men’s Badminton Championship game last August 11 at the Rizal Memorial Badminton Hall.
Final blow
Ateneo’s Tobi Gadi and Patrick Natividad sealed the deal in the second doubles, 19-21 and 8-21, against the Gerald Sibayan-JC Clarito tandem.
An endgame 7-0 exchange in the second set capped off the win for the Blue and White squad.
The opening set, however, proved to be a challenge for ADMU as the Green Shuttlers trailed close behind. Ateneo’s duo delivered smashes and shots to the exhausted Clarito throughout the match. Clarito played against Gadi in an earlier singles game.
The Gadi-Natividad tandem proved to be a force to be reckoned with, ending the first set with a smash from reigning MVP Gadi.
Finding the right mix
Coach Lopez emphasized that their team strategy this year is to focus on pairing and finding the right mix.
While veteran Ronel Estanislao and rookie Anton Cayanan translated a doubles match into a victory, the pairing of last season’s Most Improved Player Clarito and Rookie of the Year did not materialize.
Coach Lopez elaborated though that they had planned the Clarito and Sibayan team last year; they also wanted to team up in a doubles match. It just so happens that that their team-up did not follow through.
Keeping the game close
Facing the defending champions in their first game of the season, Coach Lopez puts no pressure to his wards.
“No pressure, dahil sa tulong tulong [kami] may part kasi kami. May binagay akong part sa bawat players ko lahat sila may kailangang gamapanan sa team. (No pressure because we help each other out, and we have our own parts to play. I assigned each player a part that he would have to play. ).”
Sophomore Lance Bautista and Clarito surrendered their singles games against ADMU’s Natividad and five-time Open Champion of the PBaRS (Philippine Badminton Ranking System) circuit Gadi to put Ateneo 2-0, ahead in the team tie. Natividad outplayed Bautista, 14-21, 17-21 in the first singles while Gadi outpowered Clarito 17-21, 5-21.
The doubles one Estanislao-Cayanan pair kept the Green Shuttlers’ bid alive, thumping Raphael Alonso and Mico Mallilin, 21-7, 21-9 before Gadi and Natividad sealed the deal.
In the non-bearing match, Green Shuttler Kenneth Monterubio salvaged the last singles game against the younger Justin Natividad, 21-10, 21-16.
The Green Shuttlers will play 7th seed University of the East 9AM today at the RMSC Badminton Hall.
