Ateneo and National University are set to meet for a fourth straight UAAP Men’s Badminton Finals showdown after prevailing over their semifinals opponents in the UAAP Season 87 Final Four on Tuesday at the Rizal Memorial Badminton Hall in Manila.
Lyrden Laborte led the Blue Eagles to their fourth consecutive Finals appearance with a 3-1 victory over University of the Philippines.
Meanwhile, the Bulldogs secured a shot at redemption from last season’s Finals loss by defeating University of Santo Tomas, 3-0, in the other semifinal.
The final face-off between Ateneo and NU is set for 8 a.m. on Wednesday at the same venue.
The Bulldogs, who previously triumphed over the Blue Eagles in Seasons 82 (2019) and 85 (2022) to complete a seven-year championship streak, lost the crown last year and now seek to reclaim it.
Laborte, the Blue Eagles’ captain, sparked their comeback by edging out Fighting Maroons rookie Shan Clar in the second singles match, 21-17, 22-20.
Laborte then teamed up with newcomer Robby Ramos to keep Ateneo’s title bid alive, securing a hard-fought 21-14, 16-21, 21-15 victory over Jelo Albo and Johann Abinales in the second doubles match.
“At the start, parang focused lang po talaga kami sa laro,” shared Laborte, the UAAP Season 86 co-MVP. “We kept our presence of mind, and we just put God in the center of our team no matter what. Ngayon nakuha na namin, na kahit down kami one game, we kept our spirits na ando’on pa rin.
“Yung NU, alam namin na mabigat na team since natalo nga kami (nung Sunday), pero kailangan naming isipin na kaya namin to. One point at a time, one game at a time. Kaya naman namin talaga basta maniwala lang kami,” Laborte added.
Ateneo initially fell behind after Smash Pilipinas standout Albo scored an early win for UP with a 21-19, 21-16 sweep over Lance Vargas.
However, Laborte’s singles win spurred the defending champions to a three-match winning streak.
Vargas later redeemed his earlier loss by pairing with former captain Arthur Salvado Jr. to stun the previously unbeaten duo of Enzo Rivera and Mark Anthony Bernal, 21-18, 21-17, clinching the victory for Ateneo.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
On the other hand, NU earned its 12th consecutive Finals berth with Season 85 co-MVP Solomon Padiz Jr. and former Blue Eagle Jeno Cariño sealing the deal in doubles.
Padiz and Cariño defeated UST’s Bien Miraflor and Lennox Cuilao, 21-19, 21-14, to secure the championship spot.
Lanz Zafra and Mark Anthony Velasco dominated the two singles matches for NU to complete the 3-0 sweep.
Zafra overpowered Cuilao, 21-13, 21-7, while Velasco swiftly dispatched Francis Haroun Sarmiento, 21-6, 21-7.
“From the start, ang lagi ko lang sinasabi sa kanila na ‘yung consistency ng laro nila,” said Bulldogs head coach Jaime Llanes.
“All throughout the game, dapat kung ano ‘yung sinimulan nila nung una, dapat ganun pa rin sila. Hindi dapat bumababa. Yung mga players ko in high spirits talaga. And from the start, alam mong gusto nilang bumawi,” he added.
In the battle for third place, UP and UST will face off on Wednesday at 8 a.m.
