National University reclaims women's tennis crown with dominant win

National University completed its redemption story by reclaiming the UAAP Season 88 Collegiate Women’s Tennis crown with a dominant 3-1 Game 2 victory over the University of the Philippines on Saturday at the Colegio San Agustin-Bulacan Tennis Court.

Juliana Carvajal and AJ Acabo sealed the Lady Bulldogs' eighth championship, overpowering Paula Uy and Marielle Jarata 6-2, 6-3 in second doubles.

The match began with UP gaining an early advantage as Maria Divinagracia cruised past JM Carcueva, 6-1, 6-1, in first singles. However, momentum shifted to NU when Elsie Abarquez defeated Joshea Malazarte, 6-4, 6-2, in second singles, leveling the series.

“We're happy because we worked so hard to get the championship back, and we finally achieved it,” said co-MVP and Finals MVP Abarquez. “I didn't expect to win because we were near the bottom of the standings in the first round, so we were a bit down.”

Rovie Baulete and Kolin Cornell delivered in first doubles, overcoming Sydney Enriquez and Anica Cari 6-2, 7-5, to extend NU's lead and bring the title within reach.

“I’m so happy right now. The effort of my teammates was amazing. The sacrifices they made were incredible. This win is very overwhelming for all of us because we got the championship. We wouldn’t have achieved this if we didn’t work as a team,” said Cornell.

With a 6-2 elimination-round record in this tournament, supported by Wilson Philippines, the Lady Bulldogs, coached by Bobby Esquivel, took a narrow 3-2 victory in Game 1 of the Finals series.

Elsie Abarquez shared MVP honors with University of Santo Tomas’ Kaye Emana, while UP’s Marielle Jarata was named Rookie of the Year.