GROWING FORCE: Princeton Day School boys’ tennis player Lex Decker blasts a forehand last week in action at the Mercer County Tournament. Sophomore Decker took third at second singles to help PDS place sixth in the team standings at the event. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

Lex Decker displayed the growth in his tennis game by the way he started his second singles semifinal at the Mercer County Tournament last Wednesday.

The lanky Princeton Day School sophomore jumped out to a 3-0 lead over Robert Siniakowicz of WW/P-S as they battled at the Mercer County Park tennis complex.

“He is a solid player, I respect him a lot and I started out playing really, really well,” said Decker.

“I was just focused on not overhitting, not going for too much because he is one of those players who you have to really grind down.”

As the match went on, though, Siniakowicz was able to grind Decker down as he rallied from the early deficit to prevail 6-3, 6-2.

“There was a momentum change at 3-0 when I had a close serve game and after that he started coming back,” said Decker.

“During the set all the games were tight. I wasn’t playing like I could hit every ball on the line or playing the best tennis I have ever played but I was playing solid. My head was in the game that day.”

While Decker may not have played his best in the loss, he was proud of the way he battled Siniakowicz, who went on to win the title.

“It is the little points that just change the momentum, there was a lot of back and forth between us,” said Decker, who ended up placing third by default as Notre Dame’s Joseph Sison pulled out of the consolation match.

“Overall I played a really good match and I look forward to coming back next year.”

Having grown four inches and gained 20 pounds since last year, Decker is looking forward to more big wins in the future.

“Last year my serve wasn’t as consistent; I have got a lot more power now and I am just a bigger server,” said Decker, whose third place finish helped PDS take sixth of 17 schools in the MCT team standings.

“I have developed my slice a lot more. Because you have a greater height, you have a larger reach. I have always been an all around player so I have always been at the net but the height does help at the net, especially with overheads. It is harder to lob; just from a psychological standpoint, it is intimidating when the opponent is larger because you have less space to hit over them.”

After winning the third singles title at the 2015 state Prep B championships, Decker is hoping to accomplish the same feat at second singles when that competition takes place later this month.

“I think I will take my loss here with a grain of salt and move forward and just focus on grinding down my opponents,” said Decker.

“I still have plenty of confidence for Prep Bs and hopefully I will win the championship.”

PDS assistant coach Ed Tseng liked the way Decker competed in the loss to Siniakowicz.

“What I look at is the quality of the points and every point was high quality,” said Tseng.

“Lex got off to a 3-0 lead, that is proof that he was playing good, solid tennis. There were a lot of deuce games, really the match could have gone either way. He was patient, he was playing smart, and he was aggressive at the right times. I am proud of how he played.”

In reflecting on Decker’s progress, Tseng believes the sophomore is producing higher quality play, physically and emotionally.

“He has been working hard, he is stronger, he is bigger and mentally, I think he got more confidence, believing in himself,” added Tseng. “We are happy to have him on our team.”

With the Prep B slated to start on May 22, Tseng likes PDS’s prospects as it goes for a fourth straight crown.

“I think we are a pretty deep team from singles to second doubles,” said Tseng, whose team has a match at the George School (Pa.) on May 10.

“Even though this wasn’t our greatest result at the country tournament, it is good competitive, high level tennis so it is good preparation for preps. I think we have got a good shot. It just comes down to the things we focus on, doing our best and leaving everything out there.”

Decker, for his part, believes the Panthers will give their best effort as they look to keep their Prep title streak alive.

“I think our team is looking good,” said Decker. “Our doubles players are stronger than last year’s and they are really working well together. This would be our fourth year in a row so we are hopeful.”