Lagac, Dagoon bag PPS triple-crown feats

Miguel Lagac and Jan Cadee Dagoon picked up right where they left off, launching their 2026 campaigns in emphatic fashion by sweeping three titles apiece in the Zopiya Morales National Juniors Tennis Championships at the Zentro clay courts in Apalit, Pampanga.

Fresh from strong finishes in the season-ending MAC’s Crank It National Junior Championships, Lagac proved his recent surge was no fluke, ruling the boys’ singles 16U and 18U divisions in dominant style.

Ranked No. 5 in the 16U class, the rising Cebuano star dismantled second seed Troan Vytiaco, 6-2, 6-0, in the quarterfinals, overwhelmed No. 3 Antonio Bengzon, 6-0, 6-1, in the semis, then shut out top seed Anthony Cosca, 6-0, 6-0, to clinch the title.

Lagac sustained his scorching form in the tougher 18U division despite entering as an unseeded player. He blasted past second-ranked Felizardo Lota III, 6-1, 6-0, in the semis before repeating the feat against top seed Vytiaco, 6-0, 6-1, to secure his second straight Most Valuable Player (MVP) honor in the Group 2 tournament.

The event is part of the PPS-PEPP program aimed not only at fostering competition but also at investing in the dreams and aspirations of young Filipino athletes nationwide.

Dagoon, who also captured MVP honors in the girls’ division of the MAC’s Crank It meet, matched Lagac’s two-title haul on her side of the draw. She toppled top seed and doubles partner Ayl Gonzaga, 6-0, 6-3, to win the girls’ 16U crown, then asserted her mastery over her fellow Olongapo campaigner with a 6-3, 6-0 victory in the 18U finals.

Lagac capped his campaign by teaming up with Elijah Okano to edge Cyrus Javier and Vytiaco, 8-6, in the boys’ 18U doubles final.