University of Santo Tomas and De La Salle University kicked off their title retention bids on the opening day of the UAAP Season 86 Men’s and Women’s Table Tennis tournament, respectively, at the Amoranto Sports Complex Arena on Thursday.
The Tiger Paddlers, who are aiming for a record 30th UAAP title, secured a perfect start to the season, sweeping their opening-day assignments and taking the lead with a 3-0 win-loss record.
UST’s four-peat quest began with a 3-1 victory over Adamson University, followed by 3-0 sweeps against University of the Philippines and Far Eastern University.
Last season’s Rookie of the Year Eljay Tormis played a crucial role for the defending champions by sweeping his three assignments.
The national team upstart defeated Adamson’s Amiel Aroma 11-8, 11-7, 18-16, before overcoming UP’s Harvey Nieva 11-5, 11-7, 11-9. Tormis concluded the day with another sweep, defeating FEU’s Peter Cubio 11-6, 12-10, 11-8.
On the other hand, the Lady Green Paddlers, who are seeking back-to-back titles, also secured a 3-0 record to lead the women’s side.
They suffered a single loss to rival Ateneo de Manila University, with a score of 3-1, but swiftly finished off both UP and Adamson.
National team standout Angel Laude continued her impressive performance from the previous season, defeating Ateneo’s Jelaine Monteclaro 11-6, 11-6, 11-9, and Adamson’s Maiko Macatangay 11-6, 11-6, 11-6.
In the men’s division, Mahendra Cabrido and the rest of last year’s runner-up, Ateneo, kept pace with UST with a similar 3-0 win-loss record.
The Blue Eagles secured victories against FEU (3-0), De La Salle University (3-0), and University of the East (3-1).
The Fighting Maroons and the Tamaraws each split their assignments at 2-2, sharing the third spot after the opening day.
On the women’s side, the Lady Tamaraws also held a share of the lead with a 3-0 record, including a significant 3-2 win over UST, thanks to Reshma Bagongon’s 10-12, 11-6, 11-7, 12-10 reversal against Julie Anne De Leon.
The Female Paddlers and the Blue Eagles both had identical 2-1 records, putting them in a tie for third place.
The first round of the eliminations will conclude on Friday at the same Diliman venue.
