Ateneo, UE lead UAAP Esports opening day

Defending champions Ateneo de Manila University and University of the East began their title-retention bids in the UAAP Esports tournament on Tuesday at Gateway 2 Mall in Quezon City.

Ateneo faces De La Salle University in the NBA 2K category starting at 2:30 p.m., while UE took on UP in the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang competition at 6:15 p.m. and secured a dominant 2-0 sweep.

UE's Zenith Esports, competing without a coach but retaining last season's lineup, demonstrated strong teamwork to defeat UP despite facing unexpected challenges such as UP’s surprise draft tactics.

National University also secured an opening day win against De La Salle University with a reverse sweep in their match, setting the stage for fierce competition throughout the tournament.

The group stage for both NBA 2K and MLBB runs from May 13 to 15 using a single round-robin format with best-of-three matches.