UAAP: NU claims men’s badminton team title at Ateneo’s expense

MANILA — National University captured the inaugural UAAP Men’s Badminton Team Event title under the new format after a masterful 3–1 rout of Ateneo de Manila University in the Season 89 finals on Wednesday at the Gameville Central Park in Mandaluyong City.

The Bulldogs moved a step closer to redemption with the team title, as they are also favored to dominate the individual competitions, led by Clarence Villaflor in the singles event.

“Magandang momentum to sa ‘min, ‘tong championship sa team event, heading into the individual competitions. So far, thankful kami kay Lord na binigay niya sa ‘min ‘to. As a team captain, sobrang happy ko sa mga teammates ko sa nilaro nila,” said NU graduating senior Lanz Zafra.

John Benedict Gam and Jacinth Paul Ruedas bounced back from the defeat suffered by NU’s first doubles pair, turning back reigning MVP Lyrden Laborte and Allen Penute, 21–19, 21–14, in an action-packed 44-minute tussle.

In a tightly contested opening game, Ruedas displayed maturity beyond his years despite being a rookie, executing effective drop shots near the net on Ateneo’s side, including the return that helped NU gain the upper hand.

The Bulldogs capitalized on that momentum after trailing 10–11 at the second interval. Ruedas and Gam eventually built a 14–11 cushion with well-placed shots, but the Blue Eagles responded with two consecutive points to cut the deficit to one, 14–15.

That, however, proved to be Ateneo’s final push, as the Bulldogs capitalized on their opponents’ errors to reach match point. A well-placed serve from Ruedas was all NU needed, as Laborte sent his return wide to hand the Bulldogs the decisive point and the championship.

The league will award the overall title at the conclusion of the tournament on Tuesday, November 3, taking into account the performances and points accumulated across the three events: team, singles, and doubles.

NU heads into the individual competitions with 15 points, ahead of Ateneo’s 12.

With the country’s top-ranked shuttler Villaflor leading the way and Zafra bringing his experience as a former national athlete, NU is also tipped to contend for the singles titles. 

Meanwhile, Jerard Borgador secured not only his first-ever UAAP victory but also clinched the team bronze for the University of the Philippines with a 3–2 win over the University of Santo Tomas.

The UAAP newcomer overcame a slow start to complete a 16–21, 21–16, 21–16 comeback victory over Ivan Tuazon in the deciding singles match, sealing the bronze for the Fighting Maroons.

UP had to recover after surrendering its early 1–0 lead to complete the comeback victory. UP enters the individual competitions with 10 points, while UST sits just behind with eight.

De La Salle University and Adamson University round out the standings with six and four points, respectively.