Talented Kawai swings into state tournament action

As everyone prepared for the final weekend of the tennis season at the Buffalo Grove-hosted girls tennis state tennis tournament, Palatine freshman singles standout Asuka Kawai was training indoors at Schaumburg Tennis Plus.

Kawai has made quite a first impression this season. Not only did she accumulate a 26-0 record to date, she also took home the MSL singles title and was crowned the Stevenson sectional champion last week.

Her success to this point has placed Kawai as a 5-8 seed in the state tournament, which begins Thursday at Mid-Suburban League schools.

To this point, she's never lost a set in high school tennis.

Kawai discovered a love for tennis at the young age of 4, and hasn't looked back since.

"My parents were playing tennis and I was just watching them play," Kawai said. "My mom told me I was holding the racket when I was 4, and I was just playing with the ball on the racket.

"I saw documentaries in Japan about the pros that were talking about their past experiences. That was something that made (me want to pursue) tennis, because it was so interesting to me."

It's been a long journey for Kawai, who moved to the United States in August 2013 from Japan, due to her father transferring jobs. Japanese is Kawai's first language, but she'd already gained solid command of English due to having lived in England when she was 5 years old.

Before coming to the states, Kawai trained with her private coach, Masami Chikami, in Japan. Chikami coached Kawai for nearly 10 years and has taught many other successful players - including his own son, who is currently ranked as the No. 1 player in Japanese Professional Tennis. Kawai indicated that Chikami's style of teaching really helped her game athletically and mentally.

Kawai soon got involved with the United States Tennis Association. Although she was a top player in her class, Kawai can only play at USTA's level three, because she is not a U.S. citizen.

Palatine coach Dino Trinh compares Kawai's style of play to Italian professional player Francesca Schiavone, the 2010 French Open champ, because the freshman's smaller stature resembles Schiavone.

"I knew she was a good player, but I didn't know how great she was until she played some of the high level players," said Trinh, who is also a 10-year pro and USPTA as well as PTR certified. "(Kawai) trained a lot in Japan - easily five hours a day.

"Tennis is like math. In math, you have to continue practicing the problems. In tennis, you have to hit maybe 2000 of the same (shots) to find out where you're supposed to make contact. (Kawai's) shot placement is superb."

Kawai has many weapons when she plays her opponents. If it isn't her strong serve doing the job, she staggers her opponents with her corner shots. Of her effective swings, Kawai feels her strongest shot is her backhand.

When Kawai attended summer camp for the first time, she was nervous about her entering a new school. Trinh specified that she was initially reserved, but as she grew more comfortable with her surroundings, Kawai was more receptive to feedback and direction.

"The team welcomed her on the first day," Trinh said. "Everybody has supported her strongly. I have never had the privilege to coach a player like Asuka. She came here with talent, and for me it's trying to refine what she knows already."

Kawai has also benefitted from the guidance of Schaumburg Tennis Plus teacher Paul MacDonald. MacDonald has gathered 40 years of experience as a tennis pro in Detroit, Kansas City, Germany and Austria. He has also worked with players such as defending state champion (and top-ranked singles player this fall) Tiffany Chen of Naperville Central, former state champion Jasmine Minor and her sister, a No. 2 seed in this year's tournament, Carmel senior Brienne Minor.

"Asuka beat (Barrington junior no. 1 singles player Michelle) Linden three times, and statistically those matches were amazingly close," MacDonald said. "I think (Asuka) is confident in high school tennis. The biggest disadvantage is that USTA won't let her play Midwest level one or two and any national tournaments so she can't play as many matches.

"Hopefully she will play in (International Tennis Federation) this fall. She played a pro qualifier and beat two players that had full rides to D-I schools. The main thing for her is to work hard."

MacDonald also said that even though English isn't her first language, there is no barrier to teaching the Palatine phenom. MacDonald also trains Kawai's 12-year-old sister, and Asuka does much of the translating between the two. He feels that Kawai has a better grasp of strategy and learning when she's helping her sister.

Already, Kawai is weighing her options for the future. And her performance in this weekend's state tournament may help her decide whether or not to pursue a career playing professionally.

"I'm deciding right now," Kawai said. "I'm talking to my coaches and parents. The reason why I came to the U.S. was because I wanted to be an English teacher. It's been a nice experience to come to the U.S. Since I came here I can play well and I can beat girls at the top level, so it's a hard decision to make. It depends how I do at state."

Kawai will play her first round of the state tournament today at 8 a.m. Thursday against Mahomet senior Sarah Rice at Palatine. The Palatine singles player sees both advantages and disadvantages competing on her home court, but she is excited to test herself against the top players in the state.

"Maybe I will feel pressure," Kawai said. "Everyone can come and see me if they want to. Teachers will probably let (the students) come see me, and that could be a lot of pressure. I will just play. I'm not going to care if they judge me. (I will) just stand as one player and let my talents do the talking."