Still searching for their first win of the season, the DLSU Green Tennisters were unable to make a breakthrough, conceding a 4-1 defeat at the hands of the AdU Soaring Falcons earlier today, February 26, at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center. This came after a winless opening weekend against the UE Red Warriors and the UP Fighting Maroons. Following this loss, the Green Tennisters remain as the only team that has not secured a victory in the division.
Split for points
The Green Tennisters opened the day with two simultaneous singles matches, as EJ Geluz and Yassan Al Anazi took to the court against Herald Aton and Ramon Bentillo of Adamson, respectively. Geluz quickly asserted dominance over his opponent, outpacing and overwhelming the Soaring Falcon. The Lasallian quickly found himself with three games to his name, 3-0, before Aton quickly replied to make it 3-1 in the first set. However, Geluz kept his composure, going full throttle to snatch the first set, 6-1. Aton then started the next set eager to redeem himself, but Geluz replied instantly every time the former would win a game. The scoreboard went back and forth, but Geluz’s skill on the court was ultimately too much for Aton as he killed off the second set, 6-3.
On the other hand, Al Anazi faced a tougher challenge against Bentillo. The first set was initially controlled by Bentillo, who boosted himself to a 5-1 advantage as Al Anazi struggled to adjust to his opponent’s aggression. Yet, the Lasallian eventually found his groove and impressively evened the playing field, 5-all. With the set even, it was Bentillo who struck next, winning the first set 7-5.
Eager to reassert his stance on the matchup, Al Anazi started the second set proactively, exploiting his opponent’s errors and winning the second set, 6-4. With the match perfectly balanced, the third set scoreline rapidly found itself reading 4-3 in favor of Bentillo, who simply had more stamina than Al Anazi. The Adamsonian soon claimed the set and the victory, 6-4.
To conclude the singles division matchups, DLSU’s Jose Bernado took on Adamson’s Miecoz Candelasa. The latter took control of the set early on, jumping to a 4-1 lead before taking the first set, 6-4. Despite the injured Lasallian’s efforts, the second set was dominated by Candelasa, who swept the first five games before winning the sixth after a consolation point by the Lasallian, 6-1.
Double heartache
Opening the doubles division was La Salle’s Darwin Cosca and Marcus Guindo, who took on Kurt Correos and Niko Lumahang of Adamson. The Adamson pair found their groove and quickly asserted control over the Green Tennisters, winning the first set with a convincing 6-0 scoreline. The second set mirrored the first as the Adamsonians dominated the sequences with their fluid chemistry, once again claiming the set, 6-0.
The final match saw the Green Tennister pair of Leyton Portin and Enzo Enriquez face off against Angelo Rosales and Emmanuel Pedrosa. It was the Green-and-White pair who emphatically took the first set with a 6-0 score. However, the Adamsonian pair found their footing in the next set, adjusting to DLSU’s attacks and securing a 6-2 victory. As the two sides saw even scores, a tiebreaker was played with the score quickly finding itself at 5-all. With both sides of the court evidently exhausted, it was the pair of Rosales and Pedrosa who took advantage of the fine margins, scoring four consecutive points before finishing off with a 10-6 victory.
Following this 4-1 loss, the DLSU Green Tennisters remain winless. They aim to turn the tides and claim their first victory of the season when they take on their rivals in the ADMU Blue Eagles this Saturday, March 1, at 7:30 am at the same venue.
