UST targets badminton final slot

Ties today:

(Rizal Memorial Badminton Hall)

8 a.m. — NU vs UST (m)

8 a.m. — Ateneo vs UP (m)

1 p.m. — UP vs UST (w)

1 p.m. — NU vs Ateneo (w)

Unbeaten top seed National University (NU) looks to secure a spot in the winner-take-all championship against University of Santo Tomas (UST) in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 87 men’s badminton tournament Final Four today at the Rizal Memorial Badminton Hall.

Game time is set at 8 a.m. while the other semis tie between Ateneo de Manila University and University of the Philippines (UP) explodes at the same time.

The Final Four winners will advance to the one-off final Wednesday, while the losers will play in a third-place tie on the same day.

Jeno Cariño and Solomon Padiz Jr. secured the fifth straight win for NU, pulling off a 14-21, 21-11, 21-16 comeback against Lyrden Laborte and Robby Ramos of Ateneo.

“Monchi and I just fought hard in the second doubles to secure a Final Four slot. We really aimed at getting the top seed and hope good things happen,” Cariño said after beating his former team.

Meanwhile, the Fighting Maroons battle the UST Lady Shuttlers at 1 p.m. in the women’s division semis tie.

NU and Ateneo square off in the other Final Four match.

Susmita Ramos and Dianne Libaton reeled UP into a preliminary-round sweep and the No. 1 seed. The tandem remained unbeaten after a 21-15, 22-20 conquest of the Blue Eagles pair of Althea Ocampo and Missy Cervantes.

Ateneo, the double champions from Season 86, shoot to bounce-back on the other side of the Final Four to keep its reign alive.

Both the Ateneo and NU women’s teams hope their aces Mika de Guzman and Sarah Barredo, respectively, are good to go for the do-or-die encounters as the duo missed last weekend’s ties due to illness.