University of Santo Tomas extended its winning run to 26 by sweeping all four contests at the start of the second round of eliminations in the UAAP Men’s Table Tennis tournament on Tuesday at the Amoranto Sports Complex in Quezon City.
With a 10-0 win-loss record, the four-peat-seeking Tiger Paddlers secured their place in the Final Four, thanks to the efforts of reigning MVP Alvin Sevilla.
Sevilla secured the pivotal victory for the Tiger Paddlers, winning the contest 3 matches to 1 against last season’s Finals rival, Ateneo de Manila University, in the third singles rubber.
The fourth-year standout fended off the challenge of sophomore Blue Eagle Mahendra Cabrido, winning 9-11, 11-1, 11-9, 11-5, keeping UST undefeated after ten ties in the season and two away from another outright Finals berth.
The Tiger Paddlers earlier denied Adamson University at 3-0 and De La Salle University at 3-1 before Ruiz Marcelino and Jericho Mumar closed the day’s sweep with a significant 11-7, 11-6, 11-7 win over University of the Philippines’ RJ Chuaquico and Dale Cagas for a 3-0 rout.
Ateneo also advanced to its second straight postseason appearance after ending the day with a 7-2 win-loss record, fueled by two 3-0 sweeps over University of the Philippines and Far Eastern University.
De La Salle University took the upper hand in the race for the last two spots with a 6-4 win-loss card after a significant 3-1 win over Ateneo.
Former DLSZ high school standout Troy Docto shook off a slow start to down Cabrido in the clincher, 2-11, 11-8, 11-9, 11-5.
The Tamaraws are currently in fourth with a 4-5 record, while the Fighting Maroons and the Soaring Falcons still have outside chances with 3-6 cards with contests among the three squads scheduled on Wednesday’s final set.
On the other hand, defending champion DLSU Lady Paddlers advanced to the semifinals in the very tight race in the women’s side with crucial wins over contenders UST Lady Paddlers, 3-2, and FEU Lady Tamaraws, 3-1.
After sweeping the Adamson Lady Falcons at 3-0 in the morning, Mariana Caoile and Shyren Redoquero stepped up for the titleholders in these two victories. The sophomore-freshman pair swept UST’s Ciara Derecho and Jamielyn Villalon, 11-3, 11-7, 11-6, and FEU’s Miriam Martinez and Krisha Reyes, 11-3, 11-9, 11-4, to set up the winners.
Season 82 runner-up Ateneo and FEU joined De La Salle in the Final Four with identical 7-3 records after the day.
Ann Borbon stopped Althaea Salvador, 11-8, 9-11, 11-13, 11-7, 11-8, in the third singles rubber to secure the 3-1 win in the tie for the Blue Eagles against the Fighting Maroons and the eventual semifinal berth clincher, while it was Reshma Bagonon that sealed the deal for the Lady Tamaraw Paddlers in an 11-6, 11-5, 11-6 clinic of Nicole Dave in a 3-1 rout of the Lady Falcons.
UST is just behind FEU and Ateneo in fourth place with a 6-3 card and is one win away from joining the next round as the squad is three contests ahead of the fifth-running UP side.
The second round of eliminations draws to a close on Wednesday at the same Diliman venue.
