University of Santo Tomas secured automatic spots in the UAAP Season 87 High School Table Tennis Finals after sweeping both the Boys’ and Girls’ divisions on Saturday at the Homecourt at Ayala Malls Manila Bay in Parañaque.
The Junior Tiger and Lady Paddlers finished the elimination round with a perfect 10-0 record, earning them a shot at a back-to-back ‘golden double.’
UST will aim to claim its third consecutive girls’ championship against De La Salle Zobel and its second straight boys’ title against Adamson University.
Both Finals series will begin at 8 a.m. on Sunday at the same venue.
The Junior Lady Paddlers dominated De La Salle Zobel with a 3-1 win to complete their sweep of the eliminations.
Reigning MVP J-An Sanchez secured the Finals berth with a thrilling 7-11, 11-7, 11-5, 11-9 comeback victory over Kimberly Amandy.
Meanwhile, the Junior Tiger Paddlers wrapped up the elimination round with a 3-0 rout of University of the East.
Anton Andre Bayona and Laurence Lee Cuaycong sealed the championship ticket with an 11-9, 11-9, 11-8 win over Gerussel Corpus and Mateo Emmanuelle Fabro.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
In the boys’ stepladder, Rodel Millana and Gerald Noche propelled the Baby Falcons into the championship round with a 12-10, 10-12, 11-4, 9-11, 11-8 marathon win over UE’s Corpus and Fabro.
Despite the heartbreaking losses, the Junior Warriors will settle for the bronze trophies in both divisions.
