Noey Do is the male tennis player of the year

Kempner’s Noey Do, the Chronicle’s All-Greater Houston Boys’ Tennis Player of the Year, may be outgoing and prankster off the tennis court, but he’s a silent menace on it. Do’s third year of high school was no different than the first two as the junior completed another perfect season while winning his third state championship in May.

“It’s the most wonderful thing I’ve ever experienced,” said Do, a Rice commit. “I have a whole support team from my school, I have a lot of friends, a lot of teachers, coaches that have supported me throughout my high school journey so far, so being able to win again this title for the third time is incredible. »

The difference between Do’s personality on and off the field is striking.

“He loves to have fun. He loves making TikTok videos and enjoying everything he does with his friends, and then when he steps on the court, he’s a different Noey,” said Kempner head tennis coach Anne Southard.

“It’s just business. He knows what he’s supposed to do. He knows what he wants to do, he goes out and does it. »

After beating Comal Smithson Valley’s Jude Bruce in the quarterfinals and Prosper Walnut Grove’s Blake Anderson in the semifinals, Do defeated Austin LASA’s William Gu in straight sets to win the UIL Class 5A boys’ singles tennis championship at the Annemarie Tennis Center in San Antonio.

Do, who earned AGH honors as a freshman, attributes all of his success to his mindset – one of his greatest strengths.

“I would say I have the will to win because from first year to first year, the only reason I won was my passion to beat the other player, even though I lost many times to many many great adversaries,” Do said. “I don’t get angry too often, and I knew that if I stayed calm and continued to strive for my goals throughout my match, sticking to the routines, I was capable of winning, and that’s how I was able to do it from my freshman year to junior year.

Do, who has yet to lose a single game in his high school career, is having fun off the field. He said it was important to remain authentic in an incredibly mentally demanding sport.

“I am always focused during the match. I’m pretty quiet,” he said. “I work very hard, I am passionate and determined to improve and win more matches than when I am off the field. I am very outgoing and direct. I am very talkative and I make a lot of comments and jokes, especially to my friends.

“Tennis is a very stressful sport and being able to have good friends, a great community and great support is something I always try to strive for.”

Do has repeatedly shown his ability to perform at the highest level. Do’s heart and determination are at a level Southard has never seen before.

“The stress that the young man is under and the fact that he handles it so well, plus the tennis aspect, it’s just amazing to me to see how well he’s doing and it makes me very proud of him,” Southard said. “He’s very gracious in winning, and for me that’s an important role.”

Do is already in rare territory after becoming the first Houston-area player to win three consecutive state titles. He will aim to extend that streak next year and match Corpus Christi London’s Dillon Humpal, who won four consecutive titles from 2014 to 2017.

“The word incredible keeps coming to mind because he did something that no one else in the Houston area has done,” Southard said. “My expectations would be for him to continue this and he is determined to do so. He wants to go undefeated for all four years and he wants to win this title for all four years.

Do, who hadn’t lost a set before her freshman year, intends to continue living up to those high expectations.

“I haven’t really thought about it, but I hope to continue this record. I’m trying not to drop a set next year, but I’m definitely going to go for my fourth state title,” Do said.

Do has already overcome a major obstacle before his senior year. In addition to having one of the top-rated universities in Texas and offering a top-ranked tennis program, Do said Rice’s proximity to his home made it the perfect fit.

“The most exciting thing about Rice is going to college in general, playing for a team that’s really good, training with a lot of great players and hopefully competing with the team, striving to improve,” he said.

Do may be perfect on the court, but he will enter the summer hungry, looking to improve his game, starting with his forehand.

“I want to be a little more aggressive. I think my skill level is pretty high and I hope I can continue to find more weaknesses and improve and get better,” Do said.

Player of the Year: Noey Do, Jr., Kempner

Coach of the Year: James Bramlett, Seven Lakes

Bramlett guided the Xu brothers to school history as sophomore Allan Xu became the first Spartan to win the state singles championship after defeating Austin Westlake’s Luke Riezebeek in straight sets in the 6A championship game. Allan became the first Houston-area boys player to win it all since 2019, with his brother Aidan Xu, a freshman, reaching the state semifinals.

Single boys: Allan Xu, Soph., Seven Lakes
Single boys: Juno Pethe, Soph., College Park
Boys’ Doubles: Brady Enstrom, Sr., Benjamin Vo, Sr., Tomball Memorial
Boys’ Doubles: Michael Lanni Jr., Sr., Yan Terekhin, Sr., Friendswood
Mixed doubles: Gabriel Segubiense, Jr., Elizabeth Shu, Jr., Fort Bend Clements
Mixed doubles: Sebastian Delgado, Soph., Andrea Delgado, Sr., Richmond Foster

Players of the year: Alex You, Jr., Andy Wu, Soph., The Village School

Alex You and Andy Wu won the boys’ doubles title at the TAPPS 6A state championships, defeating teammates Sungmo Kang and Lingchuan Wang in straight sets in the title match. Both students dominated the competition, losing just one set in four matches.

Coach of the Year: Eric Streisfeld, The village school

Streisfeld led The Village School boys to the TAPPS 6A title this spring with a score of 33 over Antonian College Prep (23) and St. Thomas (11.5). The Vikings produced three of the top four scorers, with You and Wu winning in the all-Vikings 6A boys doubles final. Innes Macaulay took second place in the singles title and Roger Shen reached the semi-finals.

Single boys: Innes Macaulay, Sr., The Village School
Single boys: Roger Shen, Father, The Village School
Boys’ Doubles: Sungmo Kang, Soph., Lingchuan Wang, Soph., The village school
Boys’ Doubles: Adrien Pruneda, Sr., Evan Filley, Soph., St. Thomas