Methodist Girls’ School beat Raffles Girls’ School 3-2 to clinch C Division tennis title

SINGAPORE – Under the morning sun’s glare and gaze of dozens of supporters surrounding the courts at Kallang Tennis Centre, all eyes were on the first doubles match of the National School Games C Division girls’ tennis final.

Methodist Girls’ School (MGS) had won two matches against Raffles Girls’ School (RGS) and another victory would seal the championship. But the pair of Kelly Chen and Natalie Chen, both 13, had lost the first set 7-5 against RGS’ Mira Lee and Sophia Kirsten.

Nerves were a factor but the MGS duo regrouped, reflected on their mistakes and upped the intensity to win the next two sets 6-0, 6-3 to regain the C Division title which they last won in 2022, also beating RGS in that final.

The two Secondary One students admitted the loud cheering had distracted them initially.

Kelly, whose father is former national tennis player Chen Chee Yen, said: “We feel really happy because we won for the school and especially because we were kind of the deciding match, and we managed to come back from the first set.”

She and Natalie first met at a tennis competition when they were eight and have been best friends since primary school at MGS. Their chemistry and similar personalities made for an effective on-court partnership, they said.

Natalie, whose older brother Nigel won the B Division tennis title with Anglo-Chinese School (Independent), noted: “Since we’ve known each other for so long, we kind of know how each other will play. The coaches also help us to communicate better and get better in playing doubles.”

All five matches at Kallang were played simultaneously. Janie Ho had given MGS the perfect start as she beat Liu Renee 6-3, 6-3 in the third singles.

The Secondary Two student, whose other co-curricular activity is football and only joined the tennis team in 2024, said: “For me, it was just knowing that my teammates and my friends were watching that helped me to keep focus. I just wanted to do well and not think so much about the result.”

MGS’ lead soon became two when Caitlin Woo, 13, and Kiersten Lim, 14, defeated RGS’ Lu Shixuan and Amelie Goh 6-3, 6-2 in the second doubles match.

Kiersten, who has been playing tennis since she was eight, said: “There were some points where we could have won, but we weren’t very focused at the start of the match.”

Caitlin, who picked up the game when she was seven, added: “We told ourselves, if you don’t focus, nothing is gonna work and you can’t blame the crowd for anything. I told myself just enjoy the experience. When we enjoy the way we play, we play a lot better.”

MGS coach Ang Hock Chai, 56, said one way he prepares his players for the intensity of competition is by putting them through losing situations in games that they have to try to bounce back from, adding that he encourages the girls by making sure to focus on giving them positive feedback during training.

With the title confirmed, RGS won the remaining two singles matches. Samantha Ong beat Clara Quek 6-7, 7-6, 5-1 (retired), while Sarah Choy overcame Clara Chow 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.

Mira said: “It’s been a great season for us as we had the opportunity to play against very good teams. Even thought we did not achieve the results we had hoped for, I am proud of our performance today. “Every player gave it their all, fought hard and showed tremendous spirit. This experience has helped us grow as a team and motivated us to work even harder for the next season.”

The victory sealed a double for MGS, after they also beat RGS in the B Division final in March.