National University’s Clarence Villaflor made an emphatic start to his bid for the inaugural UAAP men’s badminton singles title, routing University of the Philippines’ Josh Dupet, 21–8, 21–4, in the Round of 16 on Friday at Gameville Central Park in Mandaluyong City.
The Smash Pilipinas standout needed just 24 minutes to dispatch the Fighting Maroons co-captain, giving himself a confidence boost heading into the latter stages of the competition.
Villaflor admitted that playing in the opening round was a relatively new experience for him, but he welcomed the opportunity to sharpen his game.
“Ito is panibagong challenge na naman. Ngayon kasi hindi ako bye, si Lanz (Zafra) ‘yung bye. So, ako ‘yung una, kumbaga nag-set rin ako ng magandang example,” said the 2026 Azerbaijan International Challenge bronze medalist.
“Nilaro ko lang siya nang maayos at ginalingan ko naman po. Sabi rin ng coaches namin na huwag magkumpiyansa sa mga kalaban namin, so nilaro ko pa rin ‘yung best ko,” Villaflor added.
Villaflor will face De La Salle University’s Lovic Javier in the quarterfinals on Saturday.
Adamson University’s Steveric Muring and John Vincent Saturinas also advanced to the men’s singles quarterfinals, defeating their respective opponents from the University of Santo Tomas.
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Muring stormed out of the gates to dispatch Ivan Tuazon, 21–10, 21–10, in 27 minutes, setting up a quarterfinal clash with UP skipper Shan Clar.
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Meanwhile, Saturinas needed a little longer to overcome fellow newcomer Clark Brillantes, 21–12, 21–17, earning a matchup against Ateneo de Manila University’s Lance Vargas.
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Ateneo’s Zeth Quiambao also secured a spot in the last eight, sweeping DLSU’s Joshua Cuarte, 21–15, 21–15. He will next face NU captain Lanz Zafra, who received a bye in the opening round.
NU also made its presence felt in men’s doubles, as its new pairings turned in impressive performances against more established tandems.
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MJ Perez and Jacinth Paul Ruedas powered past UST’s John Vincent Espinoza and Manuel Fulmentera, 21–17, 21–18, to arrange a quarterfinal meeting with Karl Contreras and Gift Linaban.
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Ben Dictado and John Benedict Gam also advanced after defeating DLSU’s Rey Nier Dalimo-Os and AJ Lorenz Jurada, 21–18, 21–12. They will face Ateneo rookies Wijel Albo and Rolan De Guzman in the next round.
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Ateneo will have another pair in the quarterfinals after Lyrden Laborte and Robby Ramos outplayed UP’s JM Amerodin and Joshua Martinez, 21–12, 21–12. They will take on Adamson’s Prince Betaisar and Jasper Manlangit.
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Arjay Lazareto and Ryan Mendoza averted a shutout for UP, eliminating UST’s Ron Galve and Bien Miraflor, 21–18, 21–15, to secure their quarterfinal berth. They will next face Adamson’s John Paul Badang and Eur Cabanducos.
UST finished the individual events with just four points, bringing its overall tournament tally to 10.9 points.
