MJ Perez led National University to a thrilling comeback victory against University of the Philippines, clinching a 3-2 decision in the ongoing qualifying round of the UAAP Season 87 Badminton tournament on Sunday at the Rizal Memorial Badminton Hall in Manila.
The Bulldogs’ second-year standout from San Sebastian College-Recoletos needed just 37 minutes of action to defeat Charles Alcarpio, 21-17, 21-13, preventing the Fighting Maroons from achieving a breakthrough win against them.
Instead, this victory marked NU’s second consecutive win, propelling them to a share of the top spot alongside reigning champion Ateneo De Manila University.
“Kuntento naman ako sa performance nila. Actually, sinabihan ko na sila na this will be a hard game against UP. We expected na they will play hard also, so ang sabi ko sa kanila, mag-prepare talaga ng maayos,” said Jaime Llanes, the long-time head coach of the Bulldogs.
“Okay naman ‘yung chemistry nila, pero hindi ko rin masisi ‘yung mga players kasi bago ‘yung venue. Pero mag-adjust lang kami,” he added.
“Continue to play hard; no pressure and always have fun lang while playing.”
The two teams split the first two singles matches, with returning player Lanz Zafra and Jelo Albo securing wins for the Bulldogs and Fighting Maroons, respectively.
Zafra handed rookie Shan Clar his first loss, 21-15, 21-12, before Albo swept fellow Smash Pilipinas mainstay Mark Velasco, 21-14, 21-18.
UP then gained the advantage after Enzo Rivera and Mark Anthony Bernal pulled off a stunning upset against national team members Solomon Padiz Jr. and James Villarante, winning the first doubles match 20-22, 21-11, 23-21.
NU eventually set the stage for the decider with a convincing 21-13, 21-11 victory by Zafra and Nestojan Tapales over Albo and second-year player Johann Abinales in the other doubles rubber.
Ateneo extended its undefeated streak to five matches, dating back to last season, with a dominant 5-0 sweep of rival De La Salle University.
Meanwhile, University of Santo Tomas secured its first win of the season against Adamson University, finishing with a 4-1 scoreline.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
Reigning MVP Arthur Salvado Jr. and last year’s Rookie of the Year, Lance Vargas, clinched the win for the Blue Eagles with a 21-17, 21-13 victory over Yuan Tan and Miguel Cuarte in the first doubles rubber.
On the other hand, RJ Galve and Janzen Panisales notched their first win as a pair, giving the Golden Shuttlers a victory, 21-19, 21-14, over Julius Fontanilla and Nathaniel Acedillo, also in the first doubles.
Robbie Ramos made his singles debut in the UAAP with a 19-21, 21-11, 21-15 turnaround against James Capin, while Season 86 co-MVP Lyrden Laborte quickly made it 2-0 after defeating Joshua Fajilan, 21-15, 21-9.
Laborte then teamed up with Allen Penute to escape with a 21-17, 23-21 victory over Joshua Morada and Zaki Layno, before Vargas completed the sweep against the Green Shuttlers, winning 21-10, 21-16 against Cuarte in the final singles match.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
Lennox Cuilao collected two wins for UST, first defeating Heaven Linaban, 21-18, 21-12, in the first singles match and later teaming up with Bien Miraflor to secure a 22-20, 21-13 victory over Gabrielle Ganoy and Noel Hernandez Jr.
Ivan Angelo Tuazon extended UST’s advantage to 2-0 with a 21-13, 21-11 win over Jhon Dema-ano. In the last singles match, Acedillo prevented a shutout for Adamson, claiming victory over rookie John Vincent Espinoza, 21-15, 21-14.
Ateneo and NU will aim to continue their winning streaks when they face UST and Adamson, respectively, while UP looks to bounce back against DLSU.
All matches are scheduled for Saturday at 8:00 AM at the same Malate venue.
