UAAP: UP men, women secure Final 4 berths in table tennis

MANILA — The University of the Philippines had reason to celebrate on Tuesday after its men’s and women’s squads secured their places in the semifinals of the UAAP Season 89 table tennis team event.

The UP men’s team recovered from a 0-3 start to the season to claim a Final 4 berth, while its women’s squad ended a semifinal drought that has lasted nearly a decade.

A 3-0 sweep of Adamson University on Monday put the UP men in position for a last-ditch push, and on Tuesday, their rookies delivered in pressure-packed matches against La Salle to claim a 3-1 win. 

The UP men last made the Final 4 in Season 81 in 2018.

Stephen Llemit, a Palarong Pambansa silver medalist, finally came through when it mattered most, clinching the victory against DLSU’s Kieron Villacruel, 8-11, 11-4, 9-11, 11-6, 12-10.

UP’s comeback against DLSU began with fellow rookie Earl Tolentino’s upset victory over Red Torres, 11-8, 13-11, 7-11, 8-11, 11-9, after the Green Paddlers drew first blood through Reyan Reg’s win over Harvey Nieva, 13-11, 7-11, 11-4, 12-10.

Benz Florida and Mark Aguilar then put the Fighting Maroons ahead with an impressive 11-5, 11-8, 11-8 victory over Ashton Remaneses and Dave Saluna, setting the stage for Llemit’s clincher.

Meanwhile, University of Santo Tomas completed a 6-0 sweep of the elimination round, extending its winning streak to 64 matches with 3-0 routs of DLSU and Far Eastern University.

On the other side of the bracket, it will be a Battle of Katipunan as UP faces Ateneo, which finished second with a 5-1 record after sweeping Adamson, 3-0, and defeating FEU, 3-1.

In the women’s division, former high school division finalist Maan Gumobao helped UP end their long wait, breaking out of her slump to lead the team’s resurgence.

Coming off their first victory against Ateneo de Manila University the previous day, the Fighting Maroons crashed the semifinals party with a 3-1 rout of Adamson University and a 3-0 sweep of the University of the East.

Gumobao helped UP establish a 2-0 lead against the Lady Falcons with her first win of the season before putting the Fighting Maroons ahead later in the afternoon against the Lady Warriors.

The Fighting Maroons will face a familiar foe in the FEU Lady Tamaraws, who completed a 6-0 sweep of the elimination round and extended their winning streak to 18 matches.

The defending champions opened their final day with a 3-0 rout of UE but needed the heroics of senior Shairah Gabisay to escape DLSU with a 3-2 victory.

UST claimed the second seed at DLSU’s expense, escaping with a 3-2 victory in their head-to-head encounter after opening the day with a masterful 3-0 sweep of Ateneo.

Meanwhile, Ateneo closed its campaign with a 3-1 victory over Adamson.