Francine Wong continued her torrid run on the Palawan Junior Tennis Series, fashioning contrasting victories in the girls’ 14U and 16U divisions to claim Most Valuable Player honors in the Mayor Edwin Olivarez Juniors Age Group Tennis Championships in Sucat, Parañaque last Thursday.

The rising Cagayan de Oro City star barely broke stride in the 14U division, dropping just seven games in her first four matches before stopping the giant-killing run of unranked Kyla Caguioa, 7-5, 6-3, in the final.

Caguioa had stunned top seed Amanda Barrido, 6-3, 3-6, 11-9, in the second round and followed it with two more victories to earn a shot at the crown. But Wong survived a tight opening set before asserting her class in the second to seal the title.

Wong then battled through another test in the 16-and-U final, overcoming Barrido, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, to complete her two-title romp.

The twin victories mirrored Wong’s impressive sweep in the opening leg of the Palawan Junior Luzon Series and further underlined her growing credentials as one of the country’s promising young players looking to follow the path blazed by Alex Eala onto the international stage.

Eala’s breakthrough on the world circuit has helped fuel renewed interest in junior tennis in the Philippines, with the Parañaque tournament drawing a full field of 256 players competing for titles and ranking points in four age-group divisions, each featuring 32-player draws.

The Group 2 tournament, presented by Dunlop and sanctioned by Philta and Universal Tennis Ranking, is part of the Olivarez family’s continuing grassroots tennis program, providing young players with a high-level competitive platform. It also served as the second stop of the three-leg Luzon Junior Series following successful circuits in Mindanao and the Visayas.

The Luzon swing concludes at the Colegio de San Agustin Tennis Stadium in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan, from 20 to 30 August.

In the boys’ division, Jan Caleb Villeno matched Wong’s feat by sweeping the 14U and 16U singles titles to share MVP honors.

The San Pablo City standout edged Djokovic Garcia, 7-6(4), 6-0, in the 14-and-U final before dominating Yuan Torrente, 6-2, 6-3, for the 16-and-U crown.

Villeno then completed a three-title haul by teaming with Anthony Cosca to defeat Garcia and Vivaan Garg in the 18U doubles final of the event supported by ICON Golf & Sports and Palawan Group of Companies.

In other singles results, Melatiah Pascua dominated Jasmine Sardona, 6-0, 6-2, while Garg subdued Cosca, 6-2, 6-2, to split the 18U titles. Eilythia Comia edged Jaynelle Castro, 7-5, 6-0, and Raven Licayan beat Liam Harrow, 6-3, 6-3, for the 12U crowns.

In doubles, Castro and Barrido defeated Abrielle Asistio and Julia Bermejo, 8-3, while Rafael Cablitas and Tyronne Caro edged Licayan and Lance Recto, 8-6, for the 14U titles.

Agatha Asistio and Pascua claimed the girls’ 18U doubles crown with an 8-4 victory over Claire Alcala and Sardona.