Defending champion National University collected its second straight in dominating fashion with a masterful 5-0 crushing of University of Santo Tomas in the UAAP men’s badminton tournament Sunday morning at the Centro Atletico Badminton Center in Quezon City.
Rookie Lanz Zafra set the tone for the seven-peat-seeking Bulldogs’ rout with a 21-13, 21-9 win over Golden Shuttlers’ Lanz Ramirez, in just 29 minutes in the first singles match.
Another freshman Mark Anthony Velasco followed it up with a 21-15, 21-10 win over Lennox Cuilao in the second singles, before national team standouts Solomon Padiz Jr. and Julius Villabrille secured the tie win against Jacob Galve and JJ Panisales, 21-12, 21-14, in the first doubles.
“We played better and more mentally prepared today compared to yesterday when Adamson took a set from us,” Zafra said of the sweep, which was the Bulldogs’ 53rd straight win.
University of the Philippines, on the other hand, took care of Adamson University, 4-1, to also notch its second win.
Jelo Albo and Jason Vanzuela kept their unblemished records this season as they secure the victory again in the first doubles match at 21-14, 21-9, against Harold Bonilla and CL Garcia.
Ateneo de Manila University joined the Bulldogs and the Fighting Maroons on top after a 4-1 rout of archrival De La Salle University. Captain Arthur Salvado steered his squad to the win after a sweep of his assignments of the day.
The second-year Blue Eagle defeated James Estrada, 21-17, 21-7, in the first singles match, and then teamed up with Lynden Laborte for the first doubles match in a 21-10, 21-15 close-out win over Pete Abellana and Bless Linaban.
The Bulldogs and the Fighting Maroons will try to remain on top when they face each other on Saturday at 8 a.m.
Ateneo squares off with Adamson while La Salle faces UST in the other featured matches.
