All-Region Boys Tennis: Leo Zhao, Camas

Leo Zhao was serving a set point in a second-set tiebreaker against Camas teammate Aaron Li in the championship match at the bi-district tournament.

Already down a set and struggling all match to hold serve, Zhao double-faulted.

And then he did something completely out of character.

“I threw my racket as hard as I could into the ceiling,” Zhao said. “Originally, I was going to smash my racket. I was fully ready to beat this racket as hard as I could. But I was like ‘Wait a minute. Wait a minute. This racket is like $200, $300, and my parents bought it. So I better not destroy it. So instead, I threw it all the way to ceiling.”

The judges saw Zhao’s action and penalized him a point. So Zhao went from serving a set point to now facing a match point.

But the junior was able to regroup and win the next three points to take the tiebreaker, then he took the final set for a 3-6, 7-6, 6-4 win and a bi-district championship.

That win came one week after Zhao beat Li in the district championship match in another three-set marathon 1-6, 6-0, 7-5.

Those two wins help earn Zhao the title of The Columbian’s All-Region boys tennis player of the year.

He said the two matches against his teammate and good friend were his toughest matches of the fall.

“Yeah, 100 percent, they were my hardest matches,” Zhao said.

The district tournament final was weird because Li won the first set 6-1.

“I think we were both a little bit confused,” Zhao said. “Just like, what is going on? It was just so strange. Usually when someone wins the first set 6-1, the match is going to be over pretty soon. The second set is going to be worse than the first set.”

Instead, Zhao took the second set 6-0.

“I think at that point we both realized that maybe it’s time to focus now,” he said. “From there, we both started to up our level of play, and the third set was a very, very tense and close set.”

Zhao likes challenges. In his free time, Zhao likes to rebuild complicated operating systems on computers.

“I just like playing with things,” he said. “(A computer is) like an advanced toy. Back in the day, we were playing with Legos and learning how those pieces fit together. And now, I’m just moving up the ranking system, you know, computers and playing with the operating system, learning how to program, write software and work with compilers and things like that. I usually have a couple of tech-related projects going at a time.”

During the summers, Zhao teaches programming classes and helps students prepare for the Advanced Placement Computer Science exam. Then, he donates the proceeds from that work to the Oregon Hope Chinese School, a Chinese language and culture foundation in Portland.

Zhao said the analytical work he does on computers helps him on the tennis court.

“In my opinion, you should try to self-reflect every day,” he said. “Like when you’re going to bed, just take a moment to think about what you did that day. What went wrong or went astray and how can I improve for the next day. … Without self-reflecting and being introspective on yourself, you’re not going to improve.”

And that makes his outburst in the bi-district final so out of character for Zhao.

“I’m usually very calm and collected,” he said. “Like I never scream. I’ll celebrate, right? But I almost never let my emotions get to me.”

But, sometimes, even a fit of rage can be calculated.

“I’m not excusing my behavior here, but (Novak) Djokovic, who is probably the greatest tennis player of all time, he says that when you’re angry, you just got to let it out,” Zhao said. “That way it won’t affect you later on. So I’m not saying that played a part. But after that, I won three points in a row, which I couldn’t seem do that last hour or so. And I managed to win the match.”

The Rest of All-Region team

SINGLES

Lucas Walburn, Columbia River:  The junior was a 2A state qualifier for third consecutive year and won a third consecutive 2A district title to cap undefeated fall season.

Micah Nelson, Prairie: The junior was a 3A state qualifier for second year in a row, 3A district champ and 3A bi-district runner-up.

DOUBLES

Connor Reid and Dylan Siems Camas: The freshman tandem were 4A state qualifiers, 4A district and bi-district champion.

Jackson Taylor and Owen Kendrick, Mountain View: The sophomore and freshman team was 3A state qualifiers, 3A district champs and sixth at bi-district

Nate Little and Noah Coakes, Columbia River: The senior tandem was a 2A state qualifier, 2A district runner-up, and 2A GSHL champions.