RETURN ENGAGEMENT: Princeton High boys’ tennis player Jonathan Gu smacks a forehand last Thursday as he battled Liam Kilmer of Mendham in the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) boys’ state singles final at the Mercer County Park tennis complex. Senior star Gu, who won the title in 2022, battled valiantly but Kilmer ended up prevailing 7-5, 6-1. Gu, who went 19-2 in his final PHS campaign, is headed to Carnegie Mellon where he will be playing for its men’s tennis program. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

Jonathan Gu was running late for his Princeton High graduation ceremony last Thursday, but he had a pretty good excuse.

PHS boys’ tennis star Gu had some important business to take care of in the afternoon before he could meet up with his classmates as he was competing in the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) boys’ state singles final at the Mercer County Park tennis complex.

Gu, who won the competition last year, was a bit surprised to be playing for the title for a second straight year.

“Making the final is definitely unexpected,” said Gu, a 3-4 seed who defeated Ben Duan of Westfield 6-0, 6-1; Mike Glowacki of Easter 6-1, 6-1; Derrin Lerner of Cherry Hill East 7-6 (8-6), 5-4 (retired); Archit Yemula of Ridge 6-1, 7-6 (7-5); and Gurjot Singh of Monroe 6-4, 6-4 to reach the final. “Last year it was a tough road and this year, the same thing. It was a long tournament.”

In the final, Gu faced a tough foe, Liam Kilmer of Mendham, who brought a 35-1 record into the matchup.

Gu dug an early hole as he started the match by getting broken on his serve and trailed 2-0. Bouncing back, Gu broke Kilmer in the sixth game and had a chance to serve out the set four games later.

“Towards the end of the first set, I was up 5-4 and it was 30-all,” recalled Gu. “I had a couple of chances in that service game and I didn’t execute where I needed to. I was trying to stay in the rallies and wait for short ball. He didn’t give me too many.”

In the second set, Kilmer kept executing as he pulled away for a 7-5, 6-1 win.

“I came to the net more, I had a lot of chances at net,” said Gu, reflecting on his approach in the second set. “It just wasn’t my day. He was giving me one ball back constantly and making me hit an extra ball. He started serving better in the second set. He played well.”

While the defeat was disappointing, Gu was proud of what PHS has accomplished over his final two years.

“This year, winning counties as a team was a highlight,” said Gu, who ended the season with a 19-2 record. “Last year, we made the Group 3 finals. This year we weren’t able to, but we played a close match with South (a 3-2 loss to WW/P-South in the Central Jersey Group 3 sectional final).”

For Gu, playing on the PHS team has been a highlight in a daily basis.

“Junior tennis is always just a one-person sport,” said Gu, who was cheered on by several of his teammates at the singles final. “Our team is pretty close, we all know each other pretty well.”

PHS head coach Sarah Hibbert credited Gu with playing some great tennis in making a return trip to the singles final.

“He did play a great three years for us,” said Hibbert, noting that Gu’s freshman season in 2020 was canceled due to the global pandemic. “To make the final last year and come out and win that one in three grueling sets and to come back this year and make it back to the final is great. It is four long days of tennis. It is 128 players down to two. He has a couple of tough matches on the way here. It is tiring and to expect to play at the top level of your game
that many days in a row is just hard.”

With Kilmer producing some top level play in the final, Gu had to take some risks to stay in the match.

“Because his opponent did not miss at all, Jon had to play 100 percent,” said Hibbert. “He dug that hole, but he came back and he fought really hard through that first set. Then it was just one unforced error here or there that was able to shift the momentum. Liam just doesn’t miss. It made Jon really have to raise his game. When you have to really lift up, occasionally you make some unforced errors. He was just a pinch off today, which was disappointing, but he had an amazing season. When you get to a state final, you are cheering regardless.”

With Gu becoming the first PHS boys’ player to win the state singles title last year since Jacob Leschly did so in 1984, Hibbert saw his second straight appearance in the final as a special feat.

“He is the first state champion we had since the ‘80s and then to return — it definitely hasn’t happened often,” said Hibbert. “To be able to play that high level of tennis for that long, it really is great. Jon is a special player; not many players can do that. We have had some really strong No. 1s., like his brother Jerry and Noah [Lilienthal]. Jon was the first one in my time here to be strong enough to break through and win that state title.”

Over the years, Gu has grown on and off the court. “He has always been a mature player but he has become a really all-around player,” said Hibbert. “He is a good guy as well. He is a great person, he is incredibly smart. We will definitely miss him next year.”

Gu’s PHS teammates will feel the void as he heads to Carnegie Mellon this fall and starts his career with its men’s tennis program.

“The younger guys look up to him,” said Hibbert. “I think that is the biggest thing about tennis. It is such an individual sport so when there is the chance to have teamwork, there is a chance to support each other.”

Gu, for his part, is looking forward to joining a new team.

“High school tennis prepared me for college,” said Gu, who did make it to graduation to walk in the procession. “I can’t wait to go to college. I will be practicing and trying to spend my last summer before college by taking it easy.”