Aug. 30—Picture your standard coin. Heads on one side, tails on the other.
Now from the viewpoint of W.F. West High School’s Javyn Han, heads is playing singles in the postseason for the third time in his illustrious prep career. Tails has him being paired up with Bryce Kuykendall in doubles two years after they reached the second day at the Class 2A state tennis tournament.
Han wants to metaphorically flip a coin by late September.
“Before we cross the halfway mark, I have some practice for singles, some practice for doubles,” he said. “Singles will be tough, therefore I think doubles will be the safer option. I do think playing singles is better for my play style personally, though we did get farther in doubles.
“Having Bryce back will open more paths for me. Time will tell.”
Whatever side it lands on, the rate of success tends to follow.
The Bearcats senior is attempting to be the first player in awhile in school history to make the trip to Seattle for state all four years donning the maroon and white.
He qualified his freshman and junior years at singles, then partnered with Kuykendall as a sophomore.
“I’m grateful to be given this opportunity,” Han said. “To be honest, starting my freshman year, I didn’t think I’d make it to districts, but here I am now. I think that’s incredible.”
Kuykendall didn’t play last fall, but is back in the fold this season. Head coach Megan Wellander — in her first year coaching the boys after leading the girls to an undefeated dual record in the Evergreen Conference — has been pleasantly surprised with how the duo have reignited their chemistry.
“It is coming back quicker,” Wellander said.
Gone is returning EvCo singles champ Justin Chung from W.F. West, but Han finished top-four in singles then recovered from a first-round loss at districts to storm all the way back for a state tourney spot.
All his runs through districts to get to the Nordstrom Tennis Center on the University of Washington campus have delivered valuable lessons.
“Looking at the players from each team and thinking of how they’re working,” Han said. “Who has gone to districts and state before and really focusing on those players. I look at the scores to see who is performing well and who isn’t.”
At practice, his leadership and level-headedness is visibly on display. During one of the Bearcats warm-up drills on Thursday, a ball was heading his direction and it wasn’t from his partner on the other side of the net.
He calmly lifted his racket up and swatted the ball to Wellander.
“He really sets a good tone during practice,” Wellander said. “Because he’s such a high-level player, a lot of them follow.”
Han isn’t putting too much pressure to achieve a perfect 4-for-4 mark on state qualifications, or getting to the second day of the tourney. He enjoys the camaraderie amongst peers and seeing some of the best tennis players in the state.
That doesn’t mean it isn’t on his mind.
“It would be amazing,” Han said. “I got the taste of that, so I want to make it again.”
