Chris Xu doesn’t play with the poise of a normal first-year. His calm demeanor sets him apart.
He listens to Drake and French rap before matches. Between points, a simple come on and fist pump is usually the most emotion he exhibits.
Xu, the 114th ranked men’s singles player in the country, sits on the bench in between sets, towel over his left shoulder, only moving to take sips from his water bottle and staring straight ahead.
This level of comfort hasn’t always been there for the first-year though. Xu, who played junior tennis in Montreal last year, has had to transition to the college game.
“It was tough at the beginning because it’s [a] different environment,” Xu said. "[Not] just playing for yourself, but playing for your school."
Xu’s dominant doubles and singles play helped the UNC men’s tennis team defeat SMU 4-0 on Sunday afternoon. North Carolina’s doubles win and the return to singles action for sophomore Patrick Schoen sparked an inspired Tar Heel performance, marking their second consecutive ACC sweep after beating Boston College 4-0 on Friday. The two wins snapped North Carolina’s first losing streak of the season, while UNC won its first doubles point in over a month against the Eagles.
“Good win for us, we knew it’d be a tough match,” head coach Sam Paul said. “We had a really good week of practice, came out and set the tone in doubles better."
Xu's blistering serve and perfectly-placed forehand returns were on full display against SMU. He dominated both his doubles match with graduate student Vladislav Melnic, 6-2, and swept his singles match, 6-1, 6-2.
He credits the coaches and the work put in during practice as reasons for his successful transition and increased comfort on the court.
