By Jean Malanum
MANILA – University of Santo Tomas (UST) ended National University’s (NU) reign with a 3-0 sweep in the deciding match of the UAAP Season 87 women’s tennis finals at Felicisimo Ampon Tennis Center in Malate, Manila on Sunday.
NU, champion the previous three seasons, won Game 1 (3-1) but UST bounced back in Game 2 (3-1).
“So proud, so happy for the team,” UST coach Dennis Sta. Cruz said.
“That was really our game plan — to get at least two singles matches in this final game. Luckily, we got three. We didn’t just give two, so we managed to finish the series with three singles wins without having to go into the doubles,” he added.
Sta. Cruz expressed confidence in the team’s future, noting that many of the players are still in their first or second year.
“I hope this championship marks the beginning of a long run,” he added.
Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP) Mica Emana prevailed over Danna Abad, 7-5, 4-6, 6-2, as the Tigresses ended a seven-season drought to claim their eighth championship overall.
“I just stayed strong and toughened up, just like how my coaches and my team trusted me, so I also believed in myself to be able to earn this award,” Emana, also the Rookie of the Year, said.
Her performance throughout the finals drew praise from Sta. Cruz.
“I really saw the progress of our Rookie of the Year, Mica Emana. She really delivered in the last two games of the finals. She’s matured a lot. She made major improvements since the first round. She truly grew as a player,” Sta. Cruz said.
The Tigresses took an early lead after Patricia Lim dispatched Julia Carvajal, 6-4, 6-1.
“It feels good knowing that we’ve earned this win. I’ve been here since Season 85. We first won bronze, then silver in Season 86, and now gold. It’s been a long journey, and I always believed we could make it. It was a team effort. Everyone did their part, and I’m very happy with the result,” Lim said.
Lim, along with fellow senior Debbie Gom-os, wanted to make the most of their final season.
“Our mindset was to leave everything on the court. No fear, no regrets,” Gom-os said. “We had to fight until the end.”
UST made it 2-0 following Kaye Emana’s 6-2, 7-5 win over JM Carcueva.
“We went back to our previous matchup strategy, knowing they were undermanned because of Jasmine [Jaran]’s injury, so we returned to our old game plan and it worked. Things went exactly the way we wanted,” Kaye Emana, who shared season MVP honors with University of the Philippines’ Jufe Cocoy, said.
“I’m super happy that this batch, especially our graduating players, were able to win a championship before they graduate,” she added. (PNA)
