UAAP: UST men capture gold in table tennis team event

MANILA — University of Santo Tomas captured gold in the team event of the UAAP Season 89 men’s table tennis tournament, which is being contested under a new format this year.

UST swept surprise finalists University of the Philippines, 3–0, in the final on Wednesday at the Gameville Central Park in Mandaluyong City.

The team event title marks the first step for the Tiger Paddlers in their bid to retain their overall crown.

UST will next turn its attention to the individual singles and doubles competitions, which begin on Friday, November 13, with the group phase matches.

Reigning MVP Abraham Antivo IV and last season’s Rookie of the Year Gerald Aguilar capped UST’s unbeaten 8–0 campaign with an 11–3, 11–3, 11–8 victory over Benz Florida and Mark Aguilar, extending the Tiger Paddlers’ ongoing winning streak to 66 consecutive team ties.

National team standout Eljay Tormis and rookie Jebb Datahan gave UST a commanding 2–0 lead. Tormis defeated former UST high school standout and UP sophomore Jad Sandoval, 11–4, 11–4, 11–3, while Datahan dispatched fellow rookie Stephen Llemit, 11–7, 11–7, 11–1.

With the new format featuring both the team event and individual singles and doubles competitions, however, the job is far from finished for the seven-peat-seeking Tiger Paddlers.

“Yung team event po talaga is nagbibigay ng malaking puntos lalo kapag mag-gold. Pinag-igihan po namin para makuha ‘yung championship ngayon. Siyempre para maka-ipon po kami ng points,” Antivo said.

UP, meanwhile, booked its place in the final after stunning Ateneo de Manila University, 3–2, in the Final Four, with Sandoval displaying his championship pedigree from his days at UST.

The sophomore took down his former high school teammate Jhiven Clamucha, 11–8, 9–11, 11–9, 11–6, 11–7, in the deciding match to send the Fighting Maroons to the championship round.

UST, on the other hand, booked its place in the final with a dominant semifinal victory over De La Salle University, with Antivo and Aguilar once again delivering the clinching result through an 11–5, 11–4, 11–9 sweep of Ashton Remaneses and Dave Saluna.

Later in the day, Ateneo defeated DLSU, 3–1, to claim the bronze medal and its corresponding 20 points, with Andree Garcia sealing the podium finish through an 11–7, 8–11, 11–6, 6–11, 11–7 victory over Torres.