Angel Laude proved her pedigree and completed an undefeated run to capture the collegiate women’s singles title at the 2026 PTTF Intercollegiate and Interscholastic Challenge on Saturday at The Home Court at Ayala Malls Manila Bay in Parañaque City.
The UAAP Season 86 MVP cruised through the competition without dropping a single game, capping her dominant campaign with an 11-6, 11-3, 11-8 sweep of Far Eastern University’s Cate Sarmiento in the final.
Laude, the country’s current top-ranked women’s player, credited her recent training with the national team for helping her prepare for the tournament.
“Nakatulong po talaga sa akin yung training namin sa national team, especially lately na parang morning and evening. Siguro doon sa span na ganoon yung training namin, nag-improve ako at mas naging prepared para sa tournament na ito,” said Laude.
She had earlier dominated her group and continued her unbeaten run in the knockout stage, earning a finals berth after sweeping fellow Lady Paddler Leslie Dizon, 11-3, 11-5, 11-4.
Despite her success, Laude admitted that competing alongside the country’s best has also challenged her mentally, particularly when facing opponents of similar caliber.
“One thing na tumatak sa akin is before, natatakot akong lumaro sa ka-level ko. Pero ang sinabi sa akin, huwag akong matakot matalo at dahil doon mas nalalabas ko yung 100 percent ko,” she shared.
Sarmiento settled for silver in the singles event and added a bronze after reaching the semifinals of the women’s doubles.
University of Santo Tomas, meanwhile, completed a 1-2 finish in women’s doubles, with Kaye Encarnacion and Janna Paculba defeating top seeds Althea Gudes and Micah Tanate, 8-11, 11-7, 15-13, 11-8, in the final.
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On the men’s side, Indonesia’s Gibran Berliangga made the most of his trip to the Philippines by ruling the collegiate men’s singles event on Friday evening.
The rising Jawa Barat star defeated University of Makati’s EJ Yamson, 11-8, 11-9, 11-8, in the championship match to secure one of the tournament’s top titles.
(C) PTTF
Berliangga and Yamson had earlier advanced to the semifinals with victories over UST’s Jebb Datahan and De La Salle University’s Morrison Torres, respectively. Berliangga swept Datahan, 11-4, 11-5, 11-9, while Yamson outlasted former teammate Torres, 11-8, 11-13, 9-11, 13-11, 11-8.
Torres bounced back in the doubles event, teaming up with Joseph Noriega to capture the men’s doubles gold. The DLSU pair defeated UST’s Dirk Atilano and Josh Canalin, 8-11, 13-11, 7-11, 11-7, 11-7, in the final.
The tournament also saw Filipino junior paddlers prevent an Indonesian sweep of the completed men’s singles events.
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Top Filipino junior player Emmanuel Paculba Jr. won the high school boys’ singles title after overcoming Indonesia’s Muhammad Sayyid Sedi, 6-11, 12-10, 11-8, 5-11, 11-7.
UST’s Ramon Canalin and Kieji Ridor also topped the high school boys’ doubles event, completing their run with an 8-11, 11-6, 14-12, 7-11, 11-9 victory over Philippine Christian University’s top-seeded pair of NJ Marin and Kyle Ruedas.
Canalin and Ridor earned their place in the final after sweeping Paul Agunod and Carl Sabandal, 11-9, 11-6, 11-9, in the semifinals, while Marin and Ruedas defeated Indonesian pair Farel Deni Al Jabbar Nur and Sedi, 11-7, 11-7, 11-7.
The tournament drew more than 409 student-paddlers from nearly all over the country, including participants from the University of Mindanao, making this year’s edition its biggest staging to date.
Action in the remaining team events will continue through the second day of competition, with the playoffs for the remaining collegiate and high school events scheduled for Sunday.
The tournament is backed by the Huaching Foundation, Philippine Sports Commission, PLDT, Topcoms Marketing Inc., Mizuno Philippines, Cara Celine Dormtel, Gold Cross Security Agency, and Best Options Assistance Inc., along with Dino Jalandoni, Bombit Silva, and Eric Ongkauco.
Selected matches will be streamed live on the new and improved CPlay app and the One Sports YouTube channel.
