University of Santo Tomas moved closer to retaining its double championship after securing Final Four berths for all its representatives in the UAAP Season 89 High School Table Tennis singles events on Saturday at Gameville Central Park in Mandaluyong City.
The Junior Lady Paddlers, who fell short of capturing a fifth consecutive team title, remain in contention for a five-peat through the overall championship race, with Xyra Malaluan and Adelle Leopoldo advancing to Sunday’s semifinals.
Malaluan dispatched Ateneo’s Jannaj Alarcon, 11–7, 11–3, 6–11, 11–4, to move within reach of the gold medal and the 15 points it carries for UST.
(C) UAAP Season 89 Media Team
Leopoldo, meanwhile, survived a tight third set before completing a straight-set sweep of National Academy of Sports’ Noemi Angeline Nueva, 11–5, 11–9, 12–10, in a crucial result for the overall standings.
The two UST standouts will face representatives from De La Salle Santiago Zobel School, with a place in an all-Junior Lady Paddlers final at stake.
(C) UAAP Season 89 Media Team
Sari Velasco, last season’s Rookie of the Year, booked her semifinal ticket with an 11–8, 9–11, 11–7, 11–9 victory over University of the East’s Farhana Abdul. She will take on Leopoldo.
(C) UAAP Season 89 Media Team
Chloe Silva, meanwhile, will face Malaluan after sweeping Ateneo’s Thea Pachica, 11–8, 11–6, 11–5.
On the boys’ side, the four-peat-seeking Tiger Paddlers also kept their gold medal hopes alive, with Franz Acasio and Emmanuel Paculba advancing to the semifinals through convincing quarterfinal victories.
(C) UAAP Season 89 Media Team
Acasio continued his impressive run with an 11–6, 11–3, 11–6 sweep of NAS’ Meiko Hicap, while Paculba fashioned out a similar rout of DLSZ’s Troy Rodriguez, 11–5, 11–4, 11–8.
(C) UAAP Season 89 Media Team
University of the East, meanwhile, remained in contention for a place on the overall podium as singles standouts Kian Sumadsad and Mike Nicol also advanced to the Final Four.
(C) UAAP Season 89 Media Team
Sumadsad needed just three sets to dispatch DLSZ’s Adrian Utrera, 11–6, 11–7, 11–7, setting up a semifinal showdown with Acasio.
(C) UAAP Season 89 Media Team
Nicol, meanwhile, stopped NAS’ Nathaniel Enoza, 11–8, 11–6, 11–6, to arrange a last-four clash with Paculba.
