Athlete of the Week: Zhou Has Made a Habit of Winning Big Matches

In its last conference match of the season, with a potential NCAA tournament berth on the line, the Harvard men’s tennis team suffered a tough 4-1 loss to No. 38 Dartmouth (18-8, 6-1).

The lone highlight of the day for the Crimson (16-11, 4-3) came from freshman Andy Zhou. Playing at fifth singles, the California native cruised to a 6-2, 6-0 defeat of his Big Green opponent. In this way, he ended the season on a high note, boasting a five-match winning streak and a team-best 17-11 record.

Not bad for a rookie.

“It was a really bittersweet result for me,” Zhou said. “I was just trying to focus on controlling what I could control. I could see up and down the courts that people weren’t doing that well, but I just told myself to focus on the ball and play the guy across from me.”

And so he did. Equipped with his strong mental focus, Zhou earned the victory despite the four losses around him.

Even so, the freshman remained modest about his success on the team.

“Getting to that zone and that stage in athletic performance definitely takes a little bit of luck,” Zhou said. “I was fortunate. Being from California, we didn’t play indoors, so that definitely showed in the result.”

Zhou’s consistency on the court, indoors and outdoors, has been an asset to the team this year. Co-captain Nicky Hu, who is also from California and played for Zhou’s rival high school, has known and trained with Zhou for four years now.

“The one thing that really stands out about Andy is that he’s driven to win every single point, every single time he gets out on the court,” Hu said. “I’m sure it has to do with me beating up on him when he was a lot younger and less developed…. [Now] he wants to win every single time he steps on the court.”

As a whole, the team struggled to clinch doubles points earlier in the season, making each singles point count for that much more. Despite the pressurized situation, Zhou consistently pulled through in contested matches to boost Harvard and pave the way for critical wins.

In January, for instance, Zhou fought for a key victory in the Crimson’s 4-3 triumph over William & Mary. Subsequently he went on to crush his Boston College opponent that same day, playing at first singles. It was a case of two impressive results stuffed into an intense 24-hour period.

But even after one year with the program, teammates said that they trusted Zhou to get the job done in crunch-time situations

“You can rely on him out there on the courts because you know he’s never going to let up mentally,” Hu said. “He’s never going to get off course and talk himself into a hole because he only has one goal in mind, and that really fuels him when he’s playing.”

That double-header performance was no one-time feat. In March, he defeated his Old Dominion opponent to help Harvard earn a 4-3 win over the Monarchs. Then he continued to claim claiming victory a few hours later, squaring off again at first singles against Amherst.

Zhou has matured a great deal to reach this point. As he described it, his former high school self used a much different style of play—one that was scrappier, more aggressive, and more reactive. These days, he has changed his ways, running a lot less and dictateing play a lot more. Given the physical demands of a college tennis schedule, this strategic change comes at an important time.

Hu has had a special perspective on this improvement. From watching Zhou the California youngster to Zhou the burgeoning college star, the co-captain has been able to spectate and marvel at the whole trajectory of development.

“Only [in] his junior and senior year in high school did he really come into himself as a player,” Hu said. “Every time I went back for winter break or summer break, you could see him making vast strides in his game. Overall, he’s a much more offensive player, and his bigger serve and bigger groundstrokes have really complimented that.”

As the team graduates three seniors this year—all crucial players for the Crimson— Zhou will return in the fall with big shoes to fill as an older and more experienced member of the program.

But if his past improvement is any indication for future play, then Zhou appears to be up for the challenges ahead of him.

“I’m really looking forward to having a productive summer, returning to the courts in the fall, being one of the older guys on the team and having a little more experience under my belt,” Zhou said.

—Crimson staff writer Jamie Chen can be reached at jamiechen@college.harvard.edu.