Freshman helps PHS to sectional final
By: Justin Feil
David Zheng was hoping to play singles this season, but instead he’s found unexpected pleasure in playing first doubles.
"After I found out I couldn’t make the singles lineup, I tried to contribute as best I could," said the Princeton High freshman. "Doubles is more fun. A lot of times I get frustrated during singles. During doubles, my partners can help ease my frustration."
Frustrations have been limited for Zheng since pairing with fellow freshman Yoshihiro Tachibana. They’ve lost just once together, and ran their record to 6-1 overall with a hard-fought 7-6 (7-5), 6-2 win in the Little Tigers’ 4½-½ win over West Windsor-Plainsboro North in the Central Jersey Group III semifinals on Thursday.
"We’ve gotten better in the last couple matches," Zheng said. "If we play together even longer, we might be really good."
Zheng and Tachibana will have that chance as long as the Little Tigers keep winning. PHS is scheduled to play Hopewell Valley 4 p.m. today at WW-P North’s courts for the CJ III championship.
"That would be good, winning in my first year," Zheng said. "That would mean something special."
Zheng and Tachibana will be facing one of their toughest challenges of the season in Hopewell Valley’s tandem of Peter Murr and Alex Scheidler. Murr and Scheidler were three-set winners and decided the match in an upset of top-seeded Ocean, 3-2, Thursday. While Hopewell also plays in the Colonial Valley Conference and the Mercer County Tournament, the Little Tigers’ second doubles team is the only flight to have faced today’s opponent at any point this season.
"We haven’t seen them yet because our match got canceled because of testing," said PHS head coach Paul Lynch, whose team is 15-6. "We’re going into this having not seen them except in the county tournament. I think it’s an accomplishment for our conference that we’re able to get two teams in the sectional final. I feel good for Hopewell’s players and their coach."
Having not seen the Bulldogs except in one flight makes this sectional final much like those of the past for the Little Tigers.
"We haven’t played them so there is part of that unknown factor," Lynch said. "It’s like you usually have against teams like Ocean. The best part is it’ll be closer than having to travel down the shore."
Even better is that the Little Tigers are playing some of their best tennis of the season just in time. PHS showed it by winning convincingly against WW-P North, a team that it edged, 3-2, barely a week before in a regular-season match.
"We were executing a little better and they were playing a little worse than they played before," Zheng said of the first-doubles match. "The score was pretty close. We had to go to a tiebreaker in the first set and it could have gone either way. It went our way."
Zheng is hoping that trend can continue for the Little Tigers. And he’s looking forward to continuing to adjust to playing with Tachibana.
"In the beginning, we weren’t communicating that much," said Zheng, who started playing tennis at age 5 but didn’t play competitively until he was 11. "Since we’ve played a lot more matches together, we know each other’s habits. We know what each other can do. We know what we need to do and we know what we need to work on."
Noted Lynch, "They’ve only played seven or eight matches now. They’ve only lost once, against Peddie. They’re playing very well. They’re two very strong players. Both their games are power. When they’re on, they’re very good. When they’re not, it’s interesting to watch them."
There haven’t been many off days for the freshman tandem. Besides being freshmen who rely on their power, the two have found other common traits that have made them successful.
"We work well together," Zheng said. "He can finish at the net when I serve and I can finish when he serves."
Zheng has found that his doubles play has improved dramatically since the beginning of the season. Thursday’s win was just the latest example of how potent the two can be as they closed the match quickly after winning a tiebreaker in the first set.
"They had a good match Thursday," Lynch said. "It was much tougher the first time. Their serves have been more consistent. And I think it’s just been playing more together (that has helped). Our guys are feeling much more comfortable together with every match. David was at first and Yoshi was at second, so it’s not much of a difference being together."
But it could make all the difference as the Little Tigers go deeper into the state tournament. Every flight is important and Zheng has found that he can contribute just as much for the PHS boys’ tennis team at a doubles flight as he could as a singles player.
"I like the new pairing," Zheng said. "I’m excited about having a new partner. It’s helped me play."
It’s also made for quite an enjoyable first season for David Zheng, a season that now has brought him one win away from a sectional championship.

