Ayl Gonzaga and Julio Naredo delivered dominant performances en route to twin-title victories in their respective divisions, showcasing their versatility and top-tier skills in the Fortheo National Junior Tennis Championships at the Jethro Sports Center in Valenzuela City recently.

The top-seeded Gonzaga lost just three games across two events. She overpowered sixth-ranked Natasha Gabriel, 6-0, 6-1, in the 14U finals, then returned with a more hard-fought 6-3, 6-3 triumph over the same rival from Silang, Cavite, to clinch the 16U crown in the Group 2 tournament, which spanned two weeks due to the large number of participants.

Not to be outdone, third-ranked Naredo swept Ole Paulsen, 6-0, 6-0, in the boys’ 16U final, then crushed No. 2 seed Reden Escultor Jr., 6-3, 6-0, to claim the 18U trophy as the Quezon City native matched Gonzaga’s two-title haul.

Other winners in the event, a part of the nationwide talent-search under the Palawan Pawnshop program initiated by president/CEO Bobby Castro, included local standout Melatiah Pascua, Bataan’s Isabel Calingasan, Laguna’s Tyronne Caro, Quezon City’s Gabriel Vitaliano and Makati’s Liam Harrow.

The unranked Pascua stunned top seed Angeli Quiñones, 6-1, 6-0, in the semis before repeating the scoreline against May Bautista to capture the girls’ 18U trophy.

In the younger divisions, No. 1 Isabel Calingasan defeated third seed Elise Co, 6-4, 6-2, to bag the girls’ 12U title; Caro powered past Vitaliano, 6-2, 6-1, for the boys’ 14U trophy; Vitaliano bounced back with a 7-5, 6-3 win over Caro in the 12U final; and Harrow routed Francis Angeles, 4-1, 4-1, to claim the 10U unisex crown.

Gonzaga added a third title, teaming up with Teresinha Calingasan to blank Co and Brenna Paulino, 8-0, in the girls’ 14U doubles final. Jarred dela Peña and Rain Racho clinched the boys’ title with an 8-4 victory over Angelo Alegria and Leonardo Manio III.

Pascua also secured the girls’ 18U doubles crown with Bautista, routing Gonzaga and Karidee Henson, 8-0.