MSSNM Tennis 2022: Acing that Win

By Aiman Hakim Bin Abdul Jalil

On Thursday, the 19th of July 2022, 11 KYS students set out on a journey of champions, bringing the Kolej Yayasan Saad Tennis Team to greater heights.

5 boys and 6 girls from Kolej Yayasan Saad participated in the tournament. The teams departed as early as 7:15 am to Kompleks Tenis Ayer Keroh after having a light breakfast at the dining hall. They reached the tennis court at 7:25 am. and started with team warm-ups.

The persistence and fearless spirit shown by the players, coached by Ahza Saufi allowed them to pave their way to the quarter-finals and emerge victorious in the U15 girls and U18 girls categories after beating other players in a very competitive match.

The first day of the tournament was tiring and everyone was excited to win the next day so they could qualify for the quarter-finals. The day resulted in a victory by Jessenia Hani Binti Junaidi. The first day was a round-robin which continued to the next day determining the fate of the players.

The second day saw the U18 boys facing MRSM Tun Ghafar Baba to determine their group placing for the quarter-finals. KYS team had a solid defense, but luck was not on our side as MRSM Tun Ghafar Baba won the round and gained their place in the quarter-finals for U18 boys. The U15 and U18 girls continued scoring points and winning matches giving them a place in the quarter-finals. This marks the end of day two where the girls gained their spot in the next day’s quarter-finals.

The results from the previous matches challenged and boosted their motivation to enter the quarter-finals with a goal none other than to reach the semi-finals. They approached every game strategically and played as if it were their last game of the tournament.

KYS players won the quarter-finals and qualified for the semi-finals. Dalia Yasmin Binti Ahmad Farid, Jasmine Hasya Binti Junaidi, Jessenia Hani Binti Junaidi, and Aryanna Harisah Binti Abdul Halem all became the semi-finalist and automatically qualify to represent Malacca state for the upcoming MSSM tennis this September.

The semi-finals, the last barrier between KYS players and a spot in the finals, was against none other than the top qualifying players. They have been brilliant throughout the tournament as well, having won every game until they met the qualified players from our school. The girls won in the semi finals for the U15 girls category and U18 girls category which are Jessenia Hani Binti Junaidi and Jasmine Hasya Binti Junaidi respectively.

That left them with one last game, the peak of this event, the finals of the MSSNM TENNIS 2022 against SMK Telok Mas and SMK Ayer Keroh. The players felt the pressure as no one wanted to settle for second place, but they stayed calm and stuck to the game plan, and persevered for the title championship.

The players faced many challenges throughout the game. KYS players knew it would go down to the wire with this one as the final match. The players were exhausted physically but no one was ever truly finished. They kept focused and in the dying seconds of the game, Jasmine Hasya scored the final point. This made Jasmine Hasya Binti Junaidi as the champion for U18 girls MSSNM Tennis 2022.

The spirit of chivalry shown by the players and the desire to never give up until the final match just goes to show that the possibilities are endless once you put your mind to it. Not to forget, all of this would not have been possible without the tactical awareness and mental motivation of our coach, Mr. Ahza Saufi, and our tennis advisor, Miss Catherine Sharlene Fernandez.