Paddles and Pride: Tali’s Tennis Men Strike Bronze

By Maan Deuda

Despite the setbacks, CASS Tali’s men’s team clinched the 2nd runner-up spot after going head-to-head with CED’s Borealis and Blaze in the last rounds of the singles and doubles table matches of the PALAKASAN 2025 Tennis Tournament on April 3, at the PE Rooms.

In the singles category, Tali fell short with a 2-11 score in both the first and second sets. The doubles match also proved challenging, ending with a 7-11 loss in the first set and an 8-11 defeat in the second, sealing the win for Borealis and Blaze.

Jofel Martin Gulang, one of the players in the doubles match, shared his thoughts after the news. “We were really happy that we placed 2nd runner-up, and I think we really deserve such recognition knowing on our part that we helped each other (as a team) and had such confidence that we know we can really pull it off,” he said.

Gulang also reflected on the challenges they faced throughout the competition. “The road wasn’t really easy knowing there are opposing colleges that are very much skilled and passionate in winning, so we had to rally our way through […] The challenge we faced was just about the test of skills and determination in winning the chip, sadly, we weren’t that close of earning such a title; however, we did our very best in all those matches,” he added.

He further noted that the team had prepared in advance and already built a sense of “chemistry,” having been teammates since last year.