Raffles Institution regain A Division girls’ tennis title after losing it to HCI in 2022
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Raffles Institution posing for a photo with their first place medals after the A Division girls' tennis final on May 11, 2023.
ST PHOTO: EUGENE TAN
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SINGAPORE – Since losing the A Division girls’ tennis crown to Hwa Chong Institution (HCI) in 2022, Raffles Institution (RI) had been bent on wresting it back.
They were so determined to regain their title that their preparations started last July.
On Thursday, 10 months of hard work paid off when they defeated HCI 3-2 in the final at the Yio Chu Kang Tennis Centre.
RI, who lost by the same scoreline in the 2022 final, had won nine straight titles from 2011 to 2019. The competition was suspended in 2020 and 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
RI coach Weber Oh said there was a two-pronged approach to their preparation.
“I have been training the girls physically and mentally,” said the 52-year-old.
“We work a lot on combinations to see who is most suitable to play the singles and the doubles.”
RI captain Sarah Chan was certainly mentally ready, as she went into the final knowing she could be playing in the decider.
The 17-year-old said: “I was already mentally prepared before this, so the pressure did not really get to me when I found out during the match (that it was indeed the decider).”
She duly delivered for her team, winning 6-3, 7-5 against Olivia Ho to secure an unassailable 3-1 lead for RI to seal the title.
There was a hiccup though as she went 3-0 down in the second set, but she managed to keep her cool and rally to win.
She said: “I panicked a bit because I did not want to go to a third set. The coach gave me tactical advice and I followed through.
“I was consistent in the game and kept my cool, even though the opponent kept returning the ball many times.”
On regaining the crown that her team had lost in 2022, she said: “There was a lot of pressure after that loss. All of us wanted to get it back.”
Raffles Institution's Sarah Chan returning a serve from her opponent during the A Division girls' tennis final on May 11, 2023.
ST PHOTO: EUGENE TAN
RI had taken the lead with Deborah Lim whitewashing Caitlin Tan 6-0, 6-0 in the first match. But HCI clawed back a point when Wee E Wen won 6-1, 6-2 against Lourelei Alburo.
RI led 2-1 after the pair of Sofia Wong and Ashley Goh prevailed over Alexa Ng and Clarice Leong 6-4, 6-2, before Sarah’s win confirmed what they had been yearning for a whole year.
In the last match, HCI’s doubles pair of Kate Chui and Venus Koh earned a hard-fought 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 win over Sarah Wong and Victoria Lim.
As the result suggested, HCI were no pushovers, and it was something RI expected coming into this showdown.
Sarah said: “We were a little nervous that it would be close, especially after we beat them 3-2 in the quarter-final round. We knew we had a good chance but we could not be complacent.”
Interestingly, RI’s Sofia and Sarah Wong are sisters but they were not paired together. The siblings have been training together since seven, and said their father is their biggest inspiration.
“Our dad always prepared us and is the reason we are where we are today,” Sarah Wong said.
“Sometimes the two of us don’t get along well, but we always look out for each other,” Sofia added.
HCI captain Kate was proud of her team for putting up a close fight.
She said: “We have been training three to four times per week, three hours per session. Everyone gave their all, and I am proud we had a good season.”
