By Rowan Chetty, Co-Multimedia Editor
Freshman Ethan Sun smashes a cross-court forehand winner out of his opponent’s reach. Ranked 60th in the nation among the Class of 2027, Sun has earned the No. 1 singles spot on Conestoga’s boys’ tennis team this year.
Sun began playing tennis when he was 5 years old and has competed in tournaments across the country. He trains at Legacy Youth Tennis and Education in Philadelphia and works with multiple private coaches. Last year, Sun won the United States Tennis Association National Level Two Boys 14 Tournament in Hudsonville, Michigan.
“Whenever I watch him, it’s really nice to see him at the baseline just getting really aggressive,” said senior and four-year ’Stoga tennis player Basil Lubiniecki. “I see him (hitting) balls that normally I wouldn’t play as an aggressive shot. He’s just going out there.”
During the offseason, Sun’s daily routine consists of one hour of workouts followed by two hours of tennis practice. Sun competes in tournaments across the country around twice a month. Playing on the Conestoga team has allowed him to focus more on collaborating with his teammates.
“It’s definitely more fun because you have teammates that are always trying to get you excited, and if you lose, they’re still there,” Sun said.
To earn the No. 1 singles position, Sun challenged junior Rohan Rao, who has played on the team for three years and helped the group win the state championship last year. Competing against Rao forced Sun to play more aggressively.
“I think the team is just happy that we have a really good player at the top,” Lubiniecki said. “I watched Ethan play against Rohan, which was a challenge match, and I saw both of them were giving their all. So I definitely see that Ethan’s getting people to work really hard.”
Sun hopes to continue learning from his teammates and opponents throughout the season.
“There’s some players that I’m never able to beat, and it’s really frustrating. (There is) one kid who I’ve lost to 13 times, so I’m always working to try to get better,” Sun said.
Lubiniecki hopes that Conestoga’s boys’ tennis team will win the state tite this year as it did in 2023. He views Sun as a valuable asset to the team, and is excited to see how the season goes.
“I’ve done the lineup in my head a couple of times to see what the matchups against other schools are like and predicting what they’re going to be,” Lubiniecki said. “I think shoving Ethan for first (singles) gives us a really good chance to win.”
Rowan Chetty can be reached at [email protected].
