What’s the number one rule of thumb in tennis?
“Take your time,” “Be consistent,” or “Believe in yourself” may come to mind, and are certainly key to the success of any great tennis player, but there’s something else more important — always expect the unexpected.
No matter how killer of a drop shot, serve or volley tennis players hit, the best are always moving their feet, anticipating a return.
But, no coach or player — whether from Aragon, Menlo-Atherton or even Burlingame High School — expected sophomore Noah Chiang, an unseeded player and Burlingame’s No. 2 singles, to take the Peninsula Athletic League (PAL) Individual Tournament by storm, placing third overall.
But Chiang’s path was not easy. On Tuesday, April 23, he battled for a narrow 7-6, 6-3 first-round victory against the No. 1 singles player from Hillsdale High School. Just around 20 minutes later, he was immediately called back on the court to play someone even better — the top player from Woodside High School and the sixth seed.
A week before, Burlingame had played Woodside in their final league match of the season, and Chiang lost his No. 2 singles match. This time, despite playing the No. 1 singles player, he quickly upset the sixth seed in straight sets 6-2, 6-3.
“I didn’t have anything to lose,” Chiang said. “On the other hand, they were seeded playing against someone who’s not seeded at all. So they have a lot more to lose than me, and that definitely affected it to an extent.”
Sophomores Kieran Kilgo and Jake Druskin also impressed in the tournament. They faced the fifth-seeded doubles team, the same pair from Woodside they had lost to just a week before. With Kilgo’s unreturnable smashes that soared out of the court, the two battled back to a 4-6, 6-3, 10-7 victory.
“I was shaking for 30 minutes afterwards from adrenaline,” Kilgo said. “We did not think we were going to win that match and come back. Losing the first set and then winning the second set and the tiebreak just felt amazing. We had no double faults, and everything was going right.”
In an unexpected twist, Chiang and Kilgo and Druskin’s victory brought two Burlingame teams to the second day of the tournament and into the top eight of singles and doubles.
Unfortunately, matched against the third seed, Kilgo and Druskin’s energy from the previous day didn’t carry over. They admitted “slow footwork” caused them to lose a series of crucial deuce points and resulted in their 6-1, 6-1 loss.
“There’s way more pressure on playing these games,” Kilgo said. “In PAL Individuals, you’ve got to put everything out there because you want to make it to the top and one loss finishes your seasons. So you want to win every single point you can and fight till the end.”
Chiang certainly fought to the end in his seesaw quarterfinal match. He dominated the first set 6-2, but his opponent quickly proved his worth as the third seed with a bagel, leaving the scoreboard tied at one set apiece. In the tiebreaker, Chiang’s signature long-drawn-out rallies tested his opponent’s patience and caused many uncharacteristic errors — giving Chiang a 6-2, 0-6, 10-3 win and a ticket to the final four.
What makes Chiang’s victory more impressive is that his opponent was Aragon’s No. 2 singles — the undefeated, first-place team in PAL Bay — and last year’s finalist. But despite the difficult matchup, Chiang didn’t feel the pressure.
“I think my mental ability is stronger than most other players,” Chiang said. “I tried not to get phased if they hit a nice shot, or if I miss a really easy shot […] I had nothing to lose [and] was able to use pace when I really needed it, like on winners.”
While Chiang lost his semi-final match to qualify for Central Coast Section (CCS) playoffs, he settled for the next best — third-place. The odds were stacked against him in the consolation match, facing the fourth seed from Menlo-Atherton, Chiang’s defensive capabilities frustrated his opponent. He pulled off one last upset, winning 6-2, 7-5.
What was Chiang’s secret to his ‘impossible’ third-place finish?
Just last year, he wasn’t playing tennis at all.
“I’d been playing badminton for maybe 10 years before [tennis], and I burned out even though I was really good. I didn’t get any enjoyment out of it,” Chiang said. “I wanted to play tennis because I enjoy being outdoors and I found it really fun, so I decided that I could stick with it.”
It’s only Chiang’s second year playing tennis, but he credits his rapid improvement to his genuine interest in the sport.
“There’s a different mentality between the two sports,” Chiang said. “When I play tennis I take it more seriously.”
But it isn’t just Chiang who loves tennis: so does the entire boys’ tennis team. In the off-season, all of them will be practicing tirelessly to get better to achieve better results next year — even if nobody expects them to.
“Hopefully we can qualify for CCS [as a team next year]. But if that doesn’t happen, I think the team can come together [and] support each other like they did this year,” Kilgo said. “I want everyone to put everything they have into playing their best and doing their best.”
