UAAP: NU sweeps Green Shuttlers in Game 1 of finals

After swiftly dethroning the ADMU Blue Eagles last Sunday, the DLSU Green Shuttlers faced the unbeaten NU Bulldogs earlier today, September 3, at the Rizal Memorial Badminton Hall. Three matches proved to be enough as the Taft-based squad failed to make their mark on the game, dropping all three in a disappointing fashion that gave the title-hungry Bulldogs a 3-0 victory.

Shuttler John Kenneth Monterubio faced NU counterpart Philip Joper Escueta in the first singles match that featured exciting exchanges between the two before the official timeout. It was then that Escueta managed to pull ahead of Monterubio with three mini-runs to grab a 21-16 win.

The second set wasn’t any better for the Green-and-White as Escueta continued making quick work of the former to draw first blood with another win, 21-12, and a 1-0 lead.

Former Rookie of the Year Gerald Sibayan tried to tie the score at one-apiece but failed against National U’s Peter Gabriel Magnaye in two sets. Magnaye came out strong in set 1 to carve out a 21-12 win. His fiery start extended to set 2, however, with a more determined Sibayan whose efforts went to naught as he failed yet again, 21-16, that awarded the Sampaloc-based crew a 2-0 advantage heading into the first doubles match.

Pumped up by a swift and barely contested wins in the prior singles matches, NU representatives Escueta and Magnaye looked to finish the contest early but was thwarted by the combined efforts of Shuttlers Monterubio and Sibayan who took an early 10-7 advantage in the first set of the doubles match including an 8-2 run.

The promising start collapsed midway through the set as Escueta and Magnaye stormed off to a blistering 14-4 rally that showcased heavy smashes and errors from the Lasallian duo that gave NU a 21-14 win.

Set 2 of the doubles match left no doubt that the Bulldogs, who last won the Men’s Badminton Championship in UAAP Season 75, meant business. The tandem of Escueta and Magnaye never trailed in the second set, dropping separate runs to hamper DLSU’s effort to bridge the gap, which resulted to another 21-14 victory and ultimately the 3-0 win to conclude the first day of the men’s badminton championship.

With the victory, the NU Bulldogs are one win away from regaining the title while the Green Shuttlers are in need of a serious bounce back to overcome the thrice-to-beat advantage of the blue-and-gold squad.

Day two of the finals is scheduled on Sunday, September 7, at the Rizal Memorial Badminton Court.