‘Like Watching Pro Tennis’
Photo by Jeff Vorva
Timothy Christian’s Tseng impresses as state champ
Timothy Christian sophomore tennis star Hudson Tseng made an impression on his teammates even before he entered the Elmhurst campus his freshman year.
As an eighth-grader, he had a chance to work out with members of the Trojans, and he had some of the older players buzzing.
He still has them buzzing.
The sophomore became the first player in program history to win an Illinois High School Association state championship when he beat Chicago Latin’s Kiyan Alsikafi 5-7, 6-3, 6-2 in the Class 1A title match May 30 at Palatine High School.
For Trojans senior captain Elliott Tandy, watching Wimbledon or the French Open has nothing on being able to see Tseng on a day-to-day basis.
“It’s like watching pro tennis when you watch him,” Tandy said of Tseng. “He seriously exhibits so much skill in every single aspect of the game, and you can tell he has a real passion for it. Seeing him as an eighth grader with us, you could tell just how good he was going to be.”
Before Tseng played a high school match, Timothy Christian had never had a boys’ tennis player place at state.
That changed in 2025 when he placed fifth in Class 1A.
Hudson Tseng became the first athlete – male or female – to win a state tennis championship for Timothy Christian. Photo by Jeff Vorva
After the regular season and sectional competition were complete this season, the IHSA seeded him first, and he was up to the task.
“It’s hard to know what will happen after we get seeded,” Tseng said. “But I think being the top seed is a good experience. You always have to be able to play well when you are up there. You have to make sure you are playing your game. You don’t want to worry too much about pressure. Just play your game.”
He was on his game during the state meet.
He opened things up with identical 6-0, 6-1 victories over Alton Marquette’s Hubert Allen and Crystal Lake South’s Nazar Muktar.
The third round was a little more challenging as he beat Lake Forest’s Andrew Harris 6-3, 6-4.
In the quarterfinals, he was back to dominating the scoreboard as he beat Chicago Latin’s Mark Tismensky 6-1, 6-1. In the semifinals, he topped Wheaton St. Francis’s Umar Bajwa 6-3, 6-1.
While Tseng dropped the first set to Alsikafi in the championship match, he recovered and took the last two.
Trojan coach Rick McLean was proud to see the school get its first tennis champ – boys or girls – under his watch.
“He’s outstanding, and he’s as good of a person as he is a tennis player,” McLean said of Tseng. “He’s focused. He’s consistent and very talented. He’s aggressive and hits the ball hard with some pace. Usually, the better the opponent, the better he plays.”
Away from the high school scene, Tseng plays a heavy Midwest schedule, and the Tennis Recruiting Network ranked him as a 3-star player.
Over the years, he racked up a 63-25 record, including a 31-1 record against 2-star opponents and 17-5 against 3-star foes. He has also gone 4-5 against 5-star players and 1-3 against those designated as Blue-Chip players.
The Elmhurst resident opened the summer ranked 241st in the country by the United States Tennis Association.
Tseng said he started playing tennis at age 3 and started playing on the USTA circuit when he was 10.
Interestingly, his USTA career started on the courts of Vernon Hills High School.
He returned to those courts on May 28 to compete in the first three rounds of the IHSA tournament in his quest for the state title.
Tseng has spent a lot of time and effort on tennis, but it’s a labor of love, and the results show it.
“I love competing and hitting the ball,” Tseng said. “And I love being outside. I like being aggressive and playing the net. I love trying to get other people to miss.”
Left: Trojan coach Rick McLean with Tseng. Right: Tseng celebrates his championship with his parents. Photo by Michael VanDerAa
