Ryan Cheung didn’t need his senior season.
University’s top tennis player already committed to UC Irvine and risked losing his scholarship should his grades slip at one of the county’s toughest academic schools after being home-schooled his junior year.
“I wanted to come back not only for tennis but to graduate with my friends,” Cheung said. “When you are home-schooled, you graduate with kids you don’t know. Here, it’s a great atmosphere.”
It could be said University’s tennis program needed Ryan Cheung, the Register’s 2010 boys tennis player of the year.
The Trojans graduated four all-county players, including co-player of the year Matt Siow. Though young and talented with a crop of freshmen – including Gage Brymer, Stefan Menichella and Tyler Lu – the team was lacking senior leadership.
Cheung provided it immediately and it paid huge dividends for the Trojans. Ranked No. 2 in the nation in the USTA’s Boys 18-and-under doubles rankings, his talent and knowledge provided a foundation for the younger players.
“He played doubles with 14 guys,” University coach John Kessler said. “That’s so valuable. In the preseason, Ryan was feeding balls to the junior varsity guys. That’s priceless.
“If Ryan wasn’t there we would not have had the same success. The experience and the leadership would have been missing.”
Cheung helped University to a second-place finish in the All-American Tournament in March, playing No. 1 singles and doubles for the Trojans. In April, Cheung reached the finals of The Ojai with partner Kona Luu as University captured the Griggs Cup for the first time since 2002.
Teamed with Reo Asami, Cheung captured the Pacific Coast League doubles title and advanced to the CIF-SS individual tournament semifinals.
His losses at Ojai and CIF were the only two of the season.
He closed his career by sweeping at No. 1 singles in University’s 17-1 victory over Santa Barbara in the CIF-SS Division 1 championship.
“I’m honored,” Cheung said of the player of the year award. “To think of the past players who have done it. Stevie (Johnson), Fabian (Matthews) and Matt. They are great county players. It’s great to be up there with them.”
Cheung was born in San Francisco and moved to Hong Kong at 8. He came back to the States but returned to Hong Kong at 11.
He began developing his game at the HK Sports Institute tennis program, a fully funded government scholarships program for talented juniors in all sports. He was the youngest member accepted for boys tennis.
He left Hong Kong for Irvine, where he ended up at University after being home-schooled his freshman year.
By that time, his serve grew into a major weapon, becoming one of the county’s best of the last 10 years.
Here’s a sampling about the lefty’s serve, which clocks 120 mph.
• “The ball is always going away from you,” Corona del Mar’s Ryan Peyton said. “You have to stay on it or it will go right past you.”
• “It’s the nastiest I’ve seen,” Troy coach Ryan Young said. “The ball pretty much goes sideways on the deuce side.”
• “It’s tough to see where it’s going,” Brymer said. “Add the power to it and it’s crazy. No one wants to hit returns against him in practice.”
• “His serve is awesome, no question about it,” Corona del Mar coach Brian Ricker said. “The only other guy was when (Harvard-Westlake’s) Ryan Thacher, who is now at Stanford. He was also a lefty. But he was 6-foot-4. Ryan is like 5-foot-9. And he doesn’t change his toss at all.”
His game and versatility on the court were major contributions to the tennis team, and so was what Kessler called his “stability.”
His presence took the pressure off the rest of the team and allowed the other players to play more relaxed.
“He’s the best on our team,” Brymer said. “He keeps it positive and keeps us pumped up. I’m really happy he came back.”
Cheung, who was part of the team’s 2008 CIF championship, knew what to expect returning for his senior year in terms of leadership. He knew his teammates would look to him as a captain to set the tone.
“People look up to him and respect him,” Luu said. “Everyone listens to him. He’s a good friend. Without him it would not be as fun.”
Related:
- List of the All-County boys tennis selections
- University’s Kessler is top boys tennis coach
- Photos of All-County boys tennis players
