Jonothan Nguyen went undefeated to become District Champ
Posted May 23, 2023
By Long Le
Sport Editor
Senior Jonathan Nguyen went undefeated in the district tournament placing with singles sophomore Valerie Nicado and the doubles sophomore Katelyn Vo and senior Charlotte West, the trio went 3-2 placing 4th. All held at David Douglas High School on May 9 after rescheduling due to rain.
“This is my senior year and I wanted to finish greatly,” said Nguyen. “I wanted it more than anyone.”
Nguyen's first match, second match, semi-finals match were all won through straight sets, beating Nelson High School 6-1, 6-0, Sandy High School 6-0, 6-1, and Central Catholic 6-1, 6-0. His final match against the Rams he won in straight sets, 6-0, 6-0. With his day one match and semi-final match, Nguyen had the whole PE class out there to cheer for him,
“It was super relieving," Nguyen said. "Having 200 students out there helped. The support was amazing. People wonder what would happen if I didn’t win. I guess we’ll never know.”
Nguyen was admitted to Pacific University on a tennis full ride scholarship.
In the girls' district, Nicado had five matches. Her first match was against Sam Barlow, winning 6-3, 6-3. Her second match was against Sandy, winning 6-1, 6-2. Her third round match was up against Nelson, winning 6-3, with a close second set, 7-5. During her semi-final match, she lost to Nelson, 6-0, 6-0. During her final match for third place, she lost to Sam Barlow, 6-1, 6-1. Nicado's third match proved to be the most difficult because her opponent received and served well for a hard fought victory.
The doubles team of West and Vo also played five matches, with their first round against Gresham, winning 6-0, 6-1. During their second match against Sandy they won 6-3, 6-2. Their third round against Central Catholic, winning 6-3, 6-1. Their semi-final match was against Sandy, where they lost a hard fought match, 7-5, 4-6, and 6-1. Their final match was against Clackamas, losing 6-4, 6-2..
“Everyone played well," said Assistant Coach Adrian Tanner. "We were just the underdogs in most of these matches.”
Day one of districts saw most of the players competing against two of the top teams in district: Sam Barlow and Central Catholic. Senior Duy Ngyuen, in the second singles match after Jonothan Nguyen, lost a close match against Barlow, 7-5, 6-3. Duy Nguyen has been admitted into Stanford University.
“My philosophy of tennis is that it is a parental investment sport that exceeds hard work,." said Duy Nguyen.
In the third match, junior singles player Kevin Le lost, 7-5, 6-0, to Central Catholic .
“The reason why I lost? Absolutely nothing,” said Le. “There are no excuses.”
The final singles match saw junior Brandon Chu lose his match against Barlow. He took the first set then lost the second losing in overtime.
“I put my mind on the court," said Chu. "I experiment with my forehand and backhand, trying [my opponent's] weak point to see what he’s lacking, and that’s how I got the first set.”
For doubles, the first match saw juniors Yisak Esayas and Brian Nguyen take on Central Catholic, but losing 6-0, 6-0.
The second match saw seniors Dion Fernandez and Justin Pham win their match, 6-3, 6-2 .
“Tomorrow is a mystery," said Fernandez. "Yesterday is history and today is a gift. That’s why they call it the present. Douglas on top.”
The third match saw senior Jacob Ngo and sophomore Leonard Nguyen losing, 6-0, 6-4.
“In the first set I wasn’t mentally ready," said Ngo. "In the second set I picked up on a rhythm. I began to communicate more and play in sync. It’s pretty interesting. Always having each other's back gives more movement, more confidence to hit.”
In the final duo match freshmen Augustine Hardy and Luke Reeves won their first match.
“Mentally, we had the edge on them and that's how we pushed through,” said Reeves.
On their day two match they lost to Barlow in a close match that pushed the Bruins to the edge.
“From the beginning of the season to now, some of the major improvements were from our freshmen, Aug and Luke,” said Adrian. “First year made it to day two of district.”
The girls' tennis team went 9-5 in Mount Hood Conference. First team all conference honors went to Charlotte West, Katelyn Vo and Valerie Nicdao.
"Even though we did not have any victories at the state tourney, the girls played well and represented David Douglas with class and great sportsmanship," said Girls' Coach Bret Walker. “We’re a very young team this year. They’ve gained a lot of experience. I’m very proud of them.”
For the girls' side, the first singles sophomore Moo Moo Eh lost to Sam Barlow, 6-3, 6-0.
The second singles junior Daniella Merid won her first match against Gresham, 6-1, 6-0, then losing her day-two match against Sam Barlow, 6-0, 6-2.
The third match was Nicado. Thus fourth singles match was freshman Dah Hoo losing to Nelson, 6-0, 6-1
For the doubles the first match was sophomores duo Eden Widgery and Ailing Zhen losing a hard fought match against Gresham, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.
The second match is Charlotte and West. Thus the third match is doubles freshman Xuan Mai Do and sophomore Amy Do. Winning their first match against Reynolds 6-1, 6-0. Their day two match they were up against Sam Barlow, winning 6-3, 6-3. Then losing their third match against Central Catholic, 6-1. 6-1.
The fourth and final match is sophomore doubles Sahara Elliot and Amaya Sheen Jones losing their first match against Sandy 6-1, 6-1.
