Kenny Zheng will leave Hopewell Valley High School as a two-time Mercer County Tournament champion and state tourney semifinalist, but he will most remember what his teammates accomplished in making boys’ tennis history for the Bulldogs.
Hopewell Valley this season won its second consecutive NJSIAA Central Jersey Group III championship, marking the first time the program captured crowns in back-to-back campaigns. Hopewell did it despite graduating three of its top players from a year ago. Last season’s title was the school’s first since 1982.
“Getting that second sectional title was something really special for us,” Zheng said. “It was a goal we had all season long, so for us as a team I think that was our biggest accomplishment.
The team lost a number of starters from 2012, but finished the season 18-2, losing to Moorestown 3-2 in the semifinals of the NJSIAA Group III tournament. The setback did nothing to diminish the Bulldogs’ accomplishments.
The team’s season began to jell, Zheng said, when Hopewell Valley finished third in the Mercer County Tournament. Zheng won the title at first singles, the first doubles team of Russell Nicholson and Didi Guenin finished second, and the second doubles squad of Andreas Vermeulen and Roger Toussaint reached the semifinals (missing a trip to the finals in a third-set tie-breaker).
“I think that’s the point where we really started coming together, especially the doubles teams,” Zheng said. “They really started meshing well. I think that was the defining moment when we believed we could go far.”
Zheng made Hopewell Valley history by reaching the semifinals of the state individual tournament this season, one year after reaching the quarterfinals. He lost to eventual champion Maverick Lin of Highland Park, and finished the campaign with a 21-3 record.
He also won his second MCT title, to go with the crown he captured as a sophomore. Zheng missed the chance to win three consecutive championships because he was forced to withdraw from last year’s tourney because of injury.
Zheng started playing tennis at the age of 5, but didn’t get serious for another seven years. His hard work, playing four to five times a week year round, helped him develop into the county’s top player.
“The only way to get good is by playing a lot; I just had to put in the hours,” Zheng said. “I really like the fact it’s a one-on-one sport. I played soccer and I swam and I did other things, but the one-on-one nature of tennis really appealed to me and I always wanted to improve.”
Having a player of Zheng’s caliber at the top of the lineup was a nice feeling for Bulldogs coach Alma Quinlan.
“Kenny gave us unparalleled strength,” Quinlan said. “Knowing your best player was the best player in the county gives you a significant advantage.”
She said Zheng’s mental toughness is a useful complement to his tennis skills.
“He is an all-court player, which gives him much versatility when competing. He possesses self-sufficiency and independence; he can evaluate on the court and can make the necessary adjustments,” she said.
In addition to being an outstanding player, Zheng received the Colonial Valley Conference’s Sportsmanship Award. But he wasn’t alone in having a historic season for the Bulldogs.
The first doubles team of Nicholson and Guenin reached the quarterfinals of the state doubles tournament, marking the deepest advancement of any doubles squad in Hopewell Valley history. The duo finished the year 21-2.
Second singles player Trevor Johnson went 15-4 for the Bulldogs, and the second doubles team of Vermeulen and Toussaint was 16-5. Third singles player Alex Ochalski provided the decisive point to clinch Hopewell Valley’s 3-2 victory over Princeton in the CJ Group III final.
“The most memorable moment of the season was defeating Princeton in the sectional finals,” Quinlan said. “Does it get any better?”
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