J-TRAIN: Princeton Day School boys’ tennis player Jaylen Peng hits a forehand in a match earlier this spring. Last Wednesday, senior Peng posted a 6-0, 6-0 win at third singles to help seventh-seeded PDS defeated 10th-seeded Wildwood Catholic 5-0 in the first round of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) South Jersey Non-Public tournament. The Panthers, who improved to 9-5 with the victory, were slated to play at second-seeded Moorestown Friends in a quarterfinal contest on May 27 with the victor advancing to the semis on May 29. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

Rain forced the Princeton Day School boys’ tennis team to play its New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) South Jersey Non-Public tournament first round match against Wildwood Catholic indoors at the Mercer County Tennis Facility but that suited Jaylen Peng just fine.

PDS senior Peng rolled to a 6-0, 6-0 win over Evan Papageorgiou at third singles, helping the seventh-seeded Panthers prevail 5-0 over 10th-seeded Crusaders in the May 21 contest as they improved to 9-5.

“I generally like playing indoors, I feel like it is easier for me to play my full game,” said Peng. “I feel like pretty much everything was working for me. I was serving pretty well, being indoors helps with that. I was just hitting pretty cleanly.”

Peng has played very well since taking third at third singles Colonial Valley Conference (CVC) tournament last month.

“What builds confidence from that was that I was able to push through a couple of really tight matches there,” said Peng. “Being able to deal with those pressure moments gave me the confidence that I could do that again in other matches that matter and other tight moments as well.”

Having played doubles earlier in his PDS career and first singles last year, moving to third singles this spring required Peng to tweak his game.

“It is a different type of player that I see, it was challenging to adjust to it,” said Peng. “They are more consistent and are more steady which is something I wasn’t used to playing last year. Over time, especially at the CVC tournament, I was playing many of those matches so I was able to adjust more.”

In adjusting to his new spot in the lineup, Peng had focused on bringing more variety to the court.

“I am coming into net when I want but also adding some variety, like slices and drop shots,” said Peng. “It’s also knowing when to attack and when to be more patient and stay in the rally. What usually happens to me is throughout the season I improve because I am getting back in the rhythm of things. From last year, I definitely have a bit more variety in my game especially in the backhand side. I am more steady and more patient with just a little more experience. When things get tight or things don’t work, I don’t panic. I am able to figure things out and stay with it.”

With PDS slated to play at second-seeded Moorestown Friends in a quarterfinal contest on May 27 and the victor advancing to the semis on May 29, Peng believes the Panthers can make a deep run in the tournament.

“I think we have a pretty good shot with this team,” said Peng. “I have been with the program for many years so I have seen the roster change a lot. Our coach (Michael Augsberger) was saying our team this year has depth which we didn’t have last year. I definitely think we have a good shot of going far.”

Peng and classmate Steven Li have been looking to mentor the squad’s younger players this spring.

“There is a lot of potential with the team,” said Peng. “Me and Steven as the captains have just been trying to make sure to lead them as best we can.”

PDS head coach Augsberger credits Peng with making sure to treat his opponents with respect.

“Just the other day at Trenton High he had a similar match to today 6-0, 6-0 and at the end of the match I see him talking with the opponent, teaching and showing him this is something I think you could work on your serve,” said Augsberger. “The kid was absorbing basically everything. Jaylen was very free with the wisdom he has picked up so he is helping others. That kind of sportsmanship is really nice.”

Peng has also imparted that wisdom to his PDS teammates. “Jaylen has been in the program now for four years so he knows the way we do things; he has won big matches at the Prep level,” added Augsberger. “He has sealed championships for us in the past. He has really taken the young guys under his wing, saying this is the way we want to treat our opponents and this is the way we want to play offensive tennis but also not swing for the fences. Everybody kind of comes in as a freshman wanting to do that. Controlled aggression is what you want and Jaylen understands that now and is trying to impart that to the younger guys.”

The PDS second doubles pair of freshman Faizan Mohammad and junior Archie Douglas posted a 6-0, 6-1 win against Wildwood Catholic as they built on winning the second doubles at the Prep B state tournament earlier in May.

“That was big time, second doubles played the match of their lives to win the Prep B tournament against MKA,” said Augsberger. “That really solidified Mo and Douglas as the second doubles team. The way they played against MKA, they really rose to the occasion and they have carried through into now.”

PDS rose to the occasion collectively last Wednesday as the Panthers won each match in straight sets.

“Everyone else was able to be offensive and really take charge of the matches which was good to see,” said Augsberger. “The closest one was first singles with Bryan Kim Short. against Chris [Papageorgiou]. Chris was able to make Bryan hit some good shots and have to hit some winners and not just rely on Chris to make some mistakes.”

At second singles, sophomore Abhishek Srinivasan continues to make progress.

“Abhishek has showed a lot of growth, he has a lot of grit,” said Augsberger. “He won the only match we won that day against Princeton (a 4-1 loss on May 12). He has been in some real fights for match tiebreaks. A lot of his matches come down to that and so he had to really dig deep, learn about himself and how do I deal with pressure. He is learning from that, having to pay those matches and over again has said a lot about his mettle.”

At first doubles, the pair of juniors Avi Saran and Li have been displaying their mettle as well.

“Now that Steven is healthy, they are meshing well together,” said Augsberger. “Avi is starting to understand when to be aggressive and when not to be, dialing back the first serve and pulling the trigger when he needs to. They have good chemistry together, they both have a lot of energy.”

Looking ahead, Augsberger viewed the quarterfinal match against Moorestown Friends as a key litmus test.

“We played that team here last year and that was the match where Steven was injured, he finished the match but that made it 3-2 for them,” said Augsberger. “We know that we were neck and neck with them. We feel like we are a better team than last year, we are deeper than last year. I think it is going to come down to the singles guys. We think that we are deep at doubles. It is a good one for us because that is what we know from last year.”

No matter how far the Panthers go in the tournament, Peng has enjoyed a good ride with the program.

“I really appreciate the different experiences I have been able to have,” said Peng, who is headed to Georgetown University this fall. “As a freshman and sophomore I was able to play doubles and I was with a lot more experienced guys who I was able to learn from. Now coming on the other side of that being the older one, I have been playing singles. I really appreciate the range of what this has been able to give me.”