UST rallied to stun Ateneo in the men’s team finals and foil the Katipunan-based school’s sweep bid in the PPS-PEPP Actifit National Students Open at the KCDA Actifit Sports Center in Valenzuela City over the weekend.
Christian Fel Lopez and Mart Cabahug wore down Julian Dayrit and Luke Flores in a pressure-packed duel, 8-7 (4), in doubles play then Jose Maria Pague pulled off the same score-line escape over Marcen Angelo Gonzales in the other singles match to complete UST’s stirring comeback.
Gabriel Tiamson bested Dave Mosqueda, 8-6, in the first singles to give Ateneo a 1-0 edge in the title clash of the inaugural all-students tournament presented by MCF Global and backed by Kap. Eli Demafelis.
National U also turned back De La Salle U, 2-1, to claim third place honors in the three-weekend event that featured the leading and rising players from the country’s top colleges and universities.
Earlier, Ateneo dominated the women’s team championship as Melanie Faye Dizon routed UP-A’s Bianca Pica, 8-2, in the first singles then Tracy Llamas and Janelle Llavore held off Nica Alanis and Danna Uy, also of UP-A, 8-7(4), in the doubles. The Lady Eagles swept the tie with a walkover win in the other singles duel of the event sanctioned the Unified Tennis Philippines, made up of Palawan Pawnshop-Palawan Express Pera Padala, Cebuana Lhuillier, Wilson, Toby’s, Dunlop, Slazenger and B-Meg.
Tiamson, meanwhile, subdued Gonzales, 7-5, 3-6, 6-3, in an all-Ateneo finals to capture the men’s singles crown while Dizon thwarted UP’s Patricia Velez, 6-3, 6-4, to secure the women’s singles diadem and complete Ateneo’s domination of the individual competitions of the event.
NU’s Vince Tugade and Alanis shared third place honors in their respective divisions.
Sharing the spotlight are Lyceum of the Phl University’s Elvin Joseph Geluz and Stefano Gurria, who repulsed UST’s Mosqueda and Clarence Cabahug, 7-5, 0-6, 10-8, in the men’s doubles finals, and Ateneo’s Nicole Amistad and Dizon, who downed Alanis and Ma. Delrose Duran of UP, 6-0, 7-5, for the women’s doubles crown.
NU’s Vaughn Codilla and Jude Ceniza and Llamas and Pages, also of Ateneo, wound up third in the men’s and women’s doubles, respectively, according PPS-PEPP Sports Program Development director Bobby Mangunay.