UAAP tennis: UST wins women’s crown, La Salle men forces title match

MANILA, Philippines – University of Santo Tomas swept its way to win the women’s title while their men’s team was forced to a finals showdown by La Salle in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines tennis tournament Saturday at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center. UST snatched its fourth straight women’s crown after a 3-2 win over La Salle while their men’s team failed to duplicate that feat as the Tigers lost to the Green Archers, 4-1. The Tigresses of coach Karl Santamaria took the title outright by winning all their six regular season games. UST swept its doubles matches against La Salle with Macy Solon and Gigi Heller beating Maria Lourdes Binoya and Ana Buenviaje, 6-0, 6-1; while Cristina Santos and Kathleen Castro defeated Kirstie Barraquias and Steffi Dizon, 6-4, 6-2. Linda Marie Santos won over Mara Isabel Sotto, 6-0, 6-2, in singles play to seal the victory for the Tigresses. “We had more talent this year plus the girls had one more year of being together. I think the key is having a balanced team this season," said Santamaria. The men’s team, meanwhile, will have to contest the title against La Salle after the Green Archers forced a best-of-three finals series. The Tigers were also seeking to take the title outright via a sweep of the eliminations prior to the match. PJ Tierro, the country’s top netter, teamed up with Jandrick De Castro to score a 6-4, 6-2 win over Wilbur Orillano and Alexander Diego for La Salle in the doubles division. John Will Baldonado and Irwin De Guzman defeated Roman Floreza, 6-0, 6-3, and Raymond Villarete, 6-1, 6-1, in the singles while Michael Basco beat Miguel Narvaez via walkover. The La Salle-UST finals showdown starts on Wednesday at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center. – GMANews.TV