Unranked Miguel Lagac III further burnished a rapidly rising tennis career by delivering a pair of commanding performances to clinch the lone two-title feat in the MAC’s Crank It National Junior Championships at the Olivarez Sports Center hard courts in Parañaque recently.

Meanwhile, Jan Cadee Dagoon sustained her strong run on the girls’ side, earning co-Most Valuable Player (MVP) honors in the season-ending tournament of the country’s longest running talent-search under the Palawan Pawnshop junior tennis program.

Lagac first outlasted second seed Rafa Monte de Ramos of Lipa City in a fierce baseline duel to post a 6-1, 6-4 victory in the boys’ 16U singles final. The Cebuano standout then capped his remarkable campaign with an even more convincing 6-2, 6-2 triumph over No. 4 seed Julio Naredo of Quezon City to rule the 18U division.

On his way to the twin titles, Lagac opened with a walkover win over Krelz Gecosala, then drubbed Jan Caleb Villeno, 6-1, 6-2, in the quarterfinals. He followed that up by blasting past Cal Shinglee — who earlier upset top seed Lexious Cruz — with a dominant 6-1, 6-1 semifinal victory to arrange his showdown with Monte de Ramos in the 16U finals.

Lagac also bundled out Monte de Ramos in the second round of the 18U class, grinding out a tough 6-2, 2-6, 12-10 decision. He went on to shock No. 2 seed France Dilao, 6-2, 6-4, before thwarting Anthony Castigador, 6-1, 7-5, in the semis en route to the championship sponsored by the Crank It Foundation, which empowers youth through sports, education and mentorship while fostering a competitive tournament for young athletes.

Dagoon narrowly missed matching Lagac’s two-title romp in the girls’ side, but the recent PPS-PEPP Olongapo leg winner still sparkled with a title and a runner-up finish to share MVP honors with Lagac. 

The Olongapo native rallied past Ella Mhae Paglalunan of Gen. Trias, Cavite, 2-6, 6-4, 6-3, to capture the girls’ 16U crown before bowing to doubles partner Avegail Joy Ansay of Laguna, 6-2, 6-4, in the 18U final.

Other champions in the Philta-sanctioned tournament, part of the PPS-PEPP program led by Palawan Pawnshop president and CEO Bobby Castro, included Iloilo’s Anthony Castigador, Olongapo’s Yuan Torrente, Quezon City’s Francis Angeles, Olongapo bet Ayl Gonzaga and Iloilo’s Donarose Olavides.

Castigador rebounded strongly from a semis setback in the 18U division by ruling the 14U category with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Torrente, who later bounced back himself to snare the 12U title via a 6-3, 6-2 triumph over Noel Zoleta. Angeles captured the 10U unisex diadem with a 5-3, 5-3 victory over Matias Aguilera, while Gonzaga claimed the girls’ 14U championship after a 1-0 (ret.) win against Kate Dee.

Olavides, the top seed, survived a tough challenge from Kyla Caguioa, 3-6, 7-5, 7-5, to pocket the 12U title.

In doubles play, Monte de Ramos exacted a measure of revenge by teaming up with Naredo to foil Lagac and Elijah Okano, 8-4, in the boys’ 18U finals. Dagoon and Ansay dominated the girls’ premier doubles event, cruising to an 8-2 rout of Precious Valdez and Jasmine Solis.

Castigador and Rafaello Munozco seized the boys’ 14U crown with an 8-2 victory over Villeno and Torrente, while Gonzaga and Dee duplicated the scoreline against Julliene Cautivo and Astrid Cablitas in the girls’ side.

Angeles likewise capped his dominant run in the youngest division by partnering with Arjun Puthraya to stun the top-ranked tandem of Aguilera and Terrence Batallones.