MGS bag third straight C Div tennis title with dominant win over RGS
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MGS players celebrating their win in the National School Games C Division at Kallang Tennis Hub on Aug 12.
ST PHOTO: ARIFFIN JAMAR
- Methodist Girls’ School (MGS) won their third consecutive C Division tennis title, defeating Raffles Girls’ School (RGS) 5-0 without dropping a set.
- MGS had a strong team with 12 good players, making it hard for coach Ang Hock Chai to select the final seven players.
- RGS acknowledged MGS’ strength but showed courage and effort despite the loss, with both teams appreciating their coaches’ support.
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SINGAPORE – Armed with a wealth of talent at their disposal, Methodist Girls’ School (MGS) had little trouble winning their third consecutive girls’ C Division title on Aug 12.
Even without their top player Wang Zixi in the fold, MGS still eased past Raffles Girls’ School (RGS) 5-0 in the final, losing just 14 games and without dropping a set at the Kallang Tennis Hub.
Zixi is competing at the ongoing Asian Tennis Federation Under-14 Category A Tournament (South-east Asia) in Kuala Lumpur from Aug 10 to 15.
The victory also sealed a National School Games double for MGS, after their B Division girls beat Nanyang Girls’ High School 4-1 in the final in March for their third straight title.
MGS coach Ang Hock Chai, who has been with the school since 1996, admitted that his biggest headache coming into the final was the team selection.
The 58-year-old said: “Actually, this year the C Division for MGS is very strong. And with due respect to the other teams, we actually have 12 really good players. For me as a coach, the most difficult part of this final is to select which seven to play.
“It is the kind of day that you always look for, but unfortunately, we have to leave out five players and I’m quite sure these five players, if they end up in any other team, will be in the first team.”
MGS captain Isla Mathews, 13, was pleased with the performances of her teammates in the final.
“Coach gave us the motivation and encouragement we needed. There was pressure... if there wasn’t, it would mean that we were overconfident.”
In the final on Aug 12, Kayenne Lim got the ball rolling with a 6-1, 6-1 win over Leah Chen before Hannah Tay beat RGS captain Yang Zi Xuan 6-0, 6-1.
Isla then partnered Naomi Cheung to defeat Koh Ya-Shya and Ashley Chow 6-2, 6-0 to earn the title-winning point.
In the two remaining dead rubbers, Alexis Soh and Alexa Goh downed Isabelle Tan and Genevieve Sim 6-1, 6-1, but Sophie Wong provided some excitement in the third singles against Katelyn Yeo.
The match had looked set to be another routine win for MGS after Sophie took the first set 6-2.
But Katelyn came flying out of the blocks in the second set and led 4-0, before Sophie composed herself to come back and win 7-5.
Sophie, 13, said: “The match was very intense, and I felt a lot of pressure... Even though I was down (in the second set), I was quite confident because I knew I could come back.
“Of course I would have been disappointed if I was the one who dropped a set, but the most important thing was that I won the match.”
RGS coach Gary Tan said his team had exceeded expectations by reaching the final.
“I think the MGS team was very mighty, and we had actually thought we were fourth-best among the schools (in the league phase).
“We obviously did very well to get here. But today, I didn’t want them to lose 5-0, go away quietly, and be a bridesmaid... I really wanted them to push hard, but it was very tough and we ran into a wall.”
His captain Zi Xuan said: “I would like to congratulate MGS, they played really well... I think we fought really hard and we were really brave today.”
On reaching the final, she credited their coach and teachers for their “support and belief” in the team throughout the season.
In the earlier bronze-medal match, Singapore Chinese Girls’ School beat Nanyang 4-1.
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