Crystal Saphire Embol is slowly making her own name in the tennis world after clinching two gold medals in the recently concluded State Games of America in State College, Pennsylvania.

With Alex Eala already creating noise in the professional scene, Embol turned heads in the biennial meet after ruling the women’s open singles and doubles events where she bested rivals from the states of Colorado, Florida, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.

“Hindi ko po inaasahan na makakamit ko ‘to. Pinagtrabahuhan ko lang araw-araw and ‘di ko po sinukuan,” said the 16-year-old Embol, who also served as flag-bearer for Team West Virginia.

“Para po ‘to sa aking pamilya, mga coaches, and siyempre para sa Pilipinas,” she added.

Before her two-gold haul in the competition, Embol, whose roots come from Misamis Occidental, already reigned in West Virginia’s Women’s Open in the past two years.

“Crystal’s outstanding performance has brought national recognition to West Virginia and serves as an inspiration to young athletes across the Mountain State,” the State Games of West Virginia wrote on its social media post.

“Her success reflects the power of hard work, perseverance, and the support of family, coaches, sponsors, and the community. She returns home not only as a two-time national champion, but also as a proud ambassador for West Virginia tennis,” it added.

Currently unranked in the amateur scene, Embol hopes to reach the WTA level in the future as well as to represent the country on the international stage.