Freshman Vivian Cheng excells on varsity tennis

When Vivian Cheng (’19) walked out on the court this summer to try out for the varsity tennis team, she brought with her a long history of athletic background and a passion for success.“[Cheng] is an amazing athlete and brings great energy to the team day in day out,” varsity tennis coach Wilston Poon said. “She has done well this season by being a team player, supporter and [by] pretty much winning all her matches this season, [she] helps boost the confidence of the team.”Age is not a factor in the Viking’s success, as she currently holds a 10-1 record. Her success does not derive solely from Samo practice but from all of the hours she puts in outside of school.“I practice about two hours a day on my own time” Cheng said.Cheng's success in tennis has branched out far beyond Samo as she has competed in the International Spring Championships and has made it as far as the semifinals in the Girls’ 18’s 52nd Annual Northridge Matador Junior Open Tournament.According to Cheng, being passionate about something and working hard enough at it will always lead to some degree of success. She is well-versed in this ideal as she switched sports from gymnastics to tennis as a child.“I was a gymnast until I started getting more serious about tennis around seven-eight years old,” Cheng said. “I became interested after watching how much fun my older brother [Victor Cheng (’16)] was having on the courts.”At seven years old Cheng decided that in order to pursue a higher level of gymnastics she had to sacrifice her academic and social time. Around the same time Cheng’s brother played a high level of tennis and was still able to fully commit to school and have a social life. That’s when Cheng made the decision to start playing tennis.“It was definitely tough going from something that you did very well to being a beginner in a different activity,” Cheng said. “I had fun playing tennis so I picked it up pretty fast.”It was a transition that has brought light to her identity as tennis player and as a Viking.“I am playing tennis as a hobby because it is fun, and it keeps me in shape,” Cheng said. “Hopefully, if I can keep improving, I would like to try to play on a team in college.”She continues to win matches and her presence and exceptional victories have brought the team high achievement. For the rest of the season, Cheng has set high goals for herself and teammates.“I have learned to never give up and try to fight for every point even though I might be losing,” Cheng said. “My goals are to keep working on my weaknesses and to become mentally stronger. I want to help Samohi win the league title this year and help our team advance far in the CIF Team Championships.”