East Brunswick’s Jennifer Chen is the Home News Tribune Girls Tennis Player of the Year.
East Brunswick’s Jennifer Chen is the Home News Tribune Girls Tennis Player of the Year.
Three years ago as a sophomore, Jennifer Chen of the East Brunswick girls tennis team found herself staring down the barrel as she trailed in match points during the Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament final.
She dug down deep, refocused and battled back to take the win, marking her first victory in the GMC Tournament. Fast forward three years, and Chen’s ability to keep herself in check mentally has come to fruition in both her game and her overall accomplishments.
For the second consecutive time, she is the Home News Tribune Girls Tennis Player of the Year.
“I really was able to watch her mature in front of my eyes in that GMC match as she rallied back after each one of those match points,” third year East Brunswick head coach Allison Clay said. “She really pulled through for the win and that can be attributed to her fighting mentality and her ability to persevere in challenging situations.”
Chen, a senior, began her farewell season with one goal in mind – to capture her third-straight GMC Tournament first singles victory. And if anything is to be known about the tennis dynamo, it’s that when she puts her mind to something, she accomplishes it.
She added that notch to her belt when she defeated Rashmi Venkatarama of South Brunswick in straight sets, 6-1, 6-1.
“The mental toughness that she has built over the course of the past few years is what makes her stand out,” Clay said.
She has the ability, even as such a young athlete, to recognize her opponent’s weaknesses and exploit them. Which, mixed with the way she’s able to change up her shots based on what she sees, adds up to make her a force to be reckoned with.
Chen led her team to third place in the GMC Tournament and to the semifinal round of the NJSIAA Central Group IV Tournament.
“Jen has the biggest team mentality,” Clay said. “She is a true captain and a natural leader and voluntarily worked with the emerging players on the team and taught them what it means to be involved with teammates when you’re in a sport that is very individualized.”
Chen has amassed a 50-6 overall regular season record through the course of her high school tenure.
This year in the Central Group IV individual tournament she made to to the quarterfinal round. She made second team all-state and first team all-county. Chen is currently ranked 34th in the United States Tennis Association Girls 18 Eastern category.
“Jen is a very logical thinker and I think that has come to her advantage, especially since she has matured as a player over the course of the last few years,” Clay said. “She’s definitely thinking more prior to stepping on the court and I think that has made the difference in her advancing as far as she did.”
Staff Writer Alyssa Davis: adavis3@gannettnj.com
GMC ALL-CONFERENCE
Jennifer Chen, East Brunswick; Deepti Talesra, J.P. Stevens; Jackie Quan, J.P. Stevens; Prathyusha Pandu, South Brunswick; Swathi Chandrika, South Brunswick; Ashi Yadav, South Brunswick; Sheha Rampalli, South Brunswick; RashmiVenkatarama, South Brunswick; Pauline Karkover, Old Bridge; Claire Pan, J.P. Stevens; Cecily D’Amore, Wardlaw-Hartridge.
Coach of the Year: Wesley Smith, Edison
ALL-RED DIVISION
Jennifer Chen, East Brunswick; Deepti Talesra, J.P. Stevens; Jacqueline Quan, J.P. Stevens; Prathyusha Pandu, South Brunswick; Swathi Chandrika, South Brunswick; Ashi Radav, South Brunswick; Sneha Rampalli, South Brunswick; Pauline Karkovar, Old Bridge; Chinonye Gabriel, Piscataway; Claire Pan, J.P. Stevens; Rashmi Venkatarma, South Brunswick.
Sportsmanship: Old Bridge
Coach of the Year: Wesley Smith, Edison
ALL-WHITE DIVISION
Cecily D’amore, Wardlaw-Hartridge; Jasmin Shah, Monroe; Charlotte Park, Monroe; Ilana Filiault, Monroe; Kavita Bhavsar, Monroe; Nicolle Kim, Monroe; Brooke Fabricant, Monroe; Jessica Philip, Monroe; Claire Greeney, Wardlaw-Hartridge; Brittney Wilson, Wardlaw-Hartridge; Colleen Binbinon, North Brunswick.
Sportsmanship: Monroe
Coach of the Year: Matthew Olszewski, Monroe
ALL-BLUE DIVISION
Siri Uppiluri, Metuchen; Isabella Josen, Bishop Ahr; Isabelle Hong, Metuchen; Allie Cryan, Metuchen; Wen Du, Metuchen; Giulia Delle Femine, Metuchen; Ilakiya Udhayakumar, Metuchen; Emily Sukenik, South Plainfield; Taylor Latimer, Spotswood; Isaura Lopez, New Brunswick; Heather Jones, Metuchen.
Sportsmanship: South Plainfield
Coach of the Year: Michael Mitchell, New Brunswick
ALL-GOLD DIVISION
Nicolette Polos, Highland Park; Brielle Murillo, Middlesex; Talia Ramos, South Amboy; Jamie Atschinow, Highland Park; Wenyi Ouyang, Highland Park; Tiffany Liang, Highland Park; Sendy Lin, Highland Park; Emily Lody, Dunellen; Kathryn Garci, Mother Seton; Alina Bardaji, Middlesex; Tia Wangli, Highland Park.
Sportsmanship: Dunellen
Coach of the Year: Erin Washington, Highland Park
