Postseason success makes Franklin Regional tennis player eager for more

By: Karen Kadilak
Friday, September 27, 2019 | 7:20 PM

Franklin Regional junior girls tennis player Hannah Yan already is looking forward to next season after a successful run recently.

Yan upset Latrobe’s Jenna Bell, the defending champion, for the Section 1-AAA singles title 6-4, 6-3. Yan went to the WPIAL tournament, where she made it to the quarterfinals.

“This win (over Bell) really helped boost my confidence,” Yan said.

Yan avenged a loss to Bell in a third-set tiebreak earlier in the season.

Franklin Regional coach Howard Fisher said being seeded fifth in the WPIAL tournament added to Yan’s accomplishment.

Yan beat Mars’ Isabella Gaydosh, 10-1, in the first round before losing to Peters Township’s Kat Wang, 10-7.

“She left the (WPIAL) tournament with a higher level of confidence and a strong desire to better her record next year,” Fisher said. “Hannah was able to show gains in her overall game through a strong training regimen.”

Yan, who placed third in the section and lost in the first round of the WPIAL tournament last season, said she gained insight.

“I learned how to read my opponent’s body language better, which will be super beneficial,” Yan said. “I also learned to trust myself more because I tend to doubt myself a lot.

“The areas of my game I am happy with are definitely my consistency and my movement. Things I can improve on are decision making, serving and calming the nerves at the beginning of each match.”

Yan said her strategy against Bell in the section final was to keep the ball deep and keep consistent.

Bell rebounded in the section doubles final, where she and Latrobe teammate Carolina Walters beat Yan and Franklin Regional freshman Hannah Zheng, 6-2, 6-2. Both teams qualified for Wednesday’s WPIAL tournament.

Tags: Franklin Regional