University of Santo Tomas asserted its dominance in the UAAP Season 87 Men’s and Women’s Table Tennis Tournament, sweeping the first round to solidify its bid for a historic ‘five-peat’ and further extend its illustrious record in the league on Thursday at Ayala Malls Manila Bay.
The UST Tiger Paddlers closed the first round with a flawless 6-0 record, remaining unbeaten in their campaign for a 31st UAAP championship. Their final day of first-round action saw them carry the momentum from a hard-fought 3-2 victory against Ateneo de Manila University to rout both University of the East and University of the Philippines.
Once again, reigning MVP John Michael Castro and Season 85 top rookie Eljay Tormis led the charge for UST. Castro shone in their match against UE, dismantling Johnster Rosales with an 11-4, 11-5, 11-5 victory, while Tormis sealed the first-round sweep with a 13-11, 11-9, 11-6 triumph over UP’s Gabriel Nivea.
With these wins, the Tiger Paddlers extended their winning streak to an incredible 36 ties, dating back to Season 82 in 2019.
“Marami pa kaming kailangang i-improve, especially sa mga rookies natin. May mga adjustments na kailangang gawin, at sa mga veterans natin, more on firmness ng laro nila ang kailangan naming i-polish,” said UST head coach Jackson Que.
Adamson University and De La Salle University are locked in a two-way tie for second place with identical 4-2 records. Both teams ended the round with victories, as Adamson bested Ateneo and DLSU outplayed UE.
Ateneo and UP share fourth place with 3-3 slates, while Far Eastern University and UE sit at the bottom of the standings with 1-5 and 0-6 records, respectively.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
In the women’s division, the UST Lady Paddlers matched the men’s achievement with their own 6-0 sweep, securing solo first place in the seven-team league.
Season 85 Rookie-MVP Althea Gudes was instrumental in UST’s success, delivering key wins against FEU and UE.
Gudes displayed resilience against FEU’s Shairah Gabisay, rallying from a 1-2 deficit to secure a thrilling 10-12, 11-4, 10-12, 11-5, 12-10 victory. She followed this up with a commanding 11-3, 11-5, 11-5 win over UE’s Jean Ramos.
“Okay naman, pero we’re not letting go of anything. As much as possible, everybody aims to win kasi babawi kami. Last year, fourth lang kami, so ngayon, it’s our chance na babawi talaga kahit ano mangyari,” said Lady Paddlers head coach Lori Wadjad.
FEU recovered from its loss to UST with a dominant 3-0 win against Ateneo, finishing the first round at solo second place with a 5-1 record.
Defending champion DLSU settled for solo third with a 4-2 slate after scoring back-to-back 3-0 victories against UE and Adamson. Meanwhile, Adamson and Ateneo share fourth place with 2-4 cards.
UP avoided a winless campaign with a gritty 3-2 win over Adamson, closing the first round at 1-5.
The second round of the UAAP Season 87 Table Tennis Tournament resumes tomorrow at The Homecourt inside Ayala Malls Manila Bay, with all teams aiming to improve their standings and challenge UST’s dominance.
