Ron Galve and Bien Miraflor brought the University of Santo Tomas a step closer to the UAAP Season 88 Men’s Badminton Final Four, completing a 3-0 sweep of Adamson University in the first stage of the playoffs on Sunday at the Rizal Memorial Badminton Hall in Malate, Manila.
Part of the Golden Shuttlers’ run to last year’s semifinals, the two young guns ensured that the España-based squad would still have a chance at redemption against their previous-day tormentors, the De La Salle Green shuttlers, with a thrilling 21-19, 21-17 win over Nathaniel Acedillo and Russel Oliveros in the lone doubles match.
Galve and Miraflor had to fend off a huge comeback from the Soaring Falcons in the opening game after their 18-10 lead dwindled to a single point.
The Golden Shuttlers faltered at the net, allowing Acedillo and Oliveros to capitalize with precise short balls. Eventually, UST managed to shift the game’s pace and claim the opener.
The second game followed a similar trajectory, but using the lessons from the first, Galve and Miraflor sealed the victory, securing the squad’s advancement to the next stage of the playoffs.
The Golden Shuttlers will face the De La Salle Green Shuttlers once again for another shot at the fourth and final semifinals spot on Monday at 8 a.m., still at the same Malate venue.
“It’s more of palagay ko may tinuturo pa sa ‘min si Lord na isang bagay; in a way na Kahit may chance na mapunta na kami ro’n (sa Final Four), napunta pa kami sa ilalim. Meron Siyang gusto pakita na in a way na ‘pag umangat uli kung sakali, mas buo pa at may development na makikita sa mga players,” said head coach RJ Ormilla.
“Sa tingin ko itong version na meron ‘yung mga players ko ngayon — hindi man guaranteed na sila ‘yung mananalo, they will compete against La Salle. Win or lose, it’s OK. Pero kung makapasok ng Final Four, no one knows, depende talaga kung paano maglalaro ‘yung mga players.”
(“I feel like God is still teaching us something. Even though we had a chance to make it to the Final Four, we ended up at the bottom. I think He wants to show us that if we rise again, the team will come back stronger, and we’ll see real development in the players. With the version of my team we have now, they might not be guaranteed to win, but they will give La Salle a real fight. Win or lose, that’s okay. But if we do make it to the Final Four, no one knows—everything really depends on how the players perform.”)
UST had earlier built a 2-0 cushion thanks to singles wins from stalwarts Lennox Cuilao and Angelo Tuazon.
Cuilao had to fend off Oliveros, an Adamson rookie, in the day’s opener, battling through three games.
Experience eventually prevailed, with the fourth-year Thomasian cruising in the decider to finish the match, 21-19, 19-21, 21-10.
Tuazon, meanwhile, wasted no time in dominating Kyrik Roldan, 21-7, 21-10, even as the match had to be moved to another court, setting the stage for Galve and Miraflor to close out the sweep.
