Manila, March 15 -- Defending champion National University (NU) and University of Santo Tomas (UST) scored easy victories Sunday to force a playoff for the last twice-to-beat incentive in the UAAP Season 88 men's tennis tournament.

NU drubbed De La Salle University, 5-0, while UST clobbered University of the East (UE), 4-1, at Colegio San Agustin Tennis Center in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan.

The Bulldogs and the Male Tennisters are tied for second place with 9-3 records.

University of the Philippines, meanwhile, rolled to its seventh straight win after thrashing Adamson University, 5-0.

The Fighting Maroons, who earned the first twice-to-beat bonus, improved to 11-1.

"It's very important for us that we won today because UST is also f...