Lower Merion junior Matt Chen wins Central League singles tennis title

Lower Merion High School junior Matt Chen won the Central League singles boys’ tennis championship April 8-9 at ther Healthplex in Springfield. Chen became the second straight Lower Merion player to win the title following last year’s win by Simon Vernier (now at Swarthmore College).
Chen defeated Alex Havlick of Haverford and Josh Taylor of Radnor to make the semifinals. On April 9, Chen defeated Nick Ruth of Conestoga 6-3,6-2. In the championship final he faced Xandy Hammitt of Strath Haven, and in a hard-hitting match in which both players played many long and hard-fought points, Chen came out on top 6-4,6-2.
Chen will participate in the District tournament April 29-30 along with the other four top finishers in the tournament (Will Frigerio of Radnor, Hammitt, Taylor and Ruth).
Lower Merion boys’ tennis head coach Dave O’Connell, said, “Matt has really been mentally tough and focused in the last two weeks after an early season loss. He has raised the level of his game during this stretch of matches against good competition.”
In the other semifinal, Hammitt defeated Will Frigerio of Radnor, 6-2, 6-3, to advance to the finals.
In the fifth place final, Josh Taylor of Radnor defeated Brandon Caban of Upper Darby, 6-4, 6-3.
In the third place final, Frigerio defeated Ruth, 6-4, 6-2.