By Terry Carter,
Seven Lakes freshman Allan Xu may not be the biggest or strongest athlete who competed in the District 19-6A Tennis Tournament at Katy this week. But his veteran groundstrokes and aggressive style delivered a dominant path to the boys’ singles championship.
Xu won his first three singles matches 6-0, 6-0 to reach the finals and qualify for the upcoming regional tennis tournament in Deer Park. The Spartan freshman then defeated Paetow’s Ethan Everk, 6-3, 6-0 in the district championship match. Both advance to the Region III-6A Tennis Tournament.
Although a freshman, Xu is very accomplished in tournament competition. He said he began playing at age five and competing at about age six. Since then Xu has been a baseline standout, building his game stronger and stronger.
Local coaches say he may be very competitive and highly seeded at the regional in his first year of varsity tennis. Xu has a veteran mentality and a competitive drive on the court, along with precision, deep shots that keep most opponents on the run.
Remember the name: Allan Xu. Seven Lakes has numerous young standouts on the courts, and Xu may become the leader of a new generation of Spartan regional and state qualifiers.
Seven Lakes freshman Allan Xu won the district tennis boys’ single title on Friday at Katy High School. (Photo by Terry Carter/UDPhotos)
