By Dave Johnson
W&M Athletics
Yu Chen understands the challenge of being on the other side of a left-handed tennis serve. Especially in the ad box, where a lefty's natural spin often sends a righty lunging for a backhand return and leaves the court wide open for a winner.
Chen, a graduate transfer at William & Mary, is a lefty herself. Correction: She
plays tennis lefty. Everything else in life, from writing to brushing her teeth, she does with her right hand.
"When I was young, I played both sides backhand," said Chen, meaning she used a two-handed swing from both sides. "Then when I got older, my parents asked me, 'Do you want to play with your left hand or right hand?' So I decided to change myself to lefty."
She still uses that two-handed backhand. But her groundstrokes and serves are left-handed. And not everyone enjoys playing against a southpaw.
"Even myself, I don't like to play lefties," Chen said. "There's a different spin than righties have.
"Most of the lefty players, they generate more spin on their forehand, backhand, everything. I don't know what the reason is, but they have a different approach to the ball."
Chen played four seasons at Auburn, where she went 21-5 in singles, including 11-2 vs. SEC opposition, as a senior. This spring, heading into Saturday's match at Towson, she is 10-4, 9-2 at No. 2 singles. Chen is 9-3 (2-0 CAA) with
Emma Fernald at No. 1 doubles.
Chen grew up in Jinzhong, China, about a five-hour drive from Beijing. Her father (Kerong) and mother (Li Shu) didn't play tennis, but there were courts across the street from their house. With Kerong's guidance, that's where Yu and her younger brother, Haode, learned the game.
Chen played in tournaments, mostly she said in Asian countries. She piqued the interest of then-Auburn coach Lauren Spencer and enrolled in January of 2019. As a senior, playing mostly at No. 5 and 6 singles, she had the team's best dual record.
At one point, she won 17 of 19 matches, all but two coming in straight sets.
Because COVID canceled most of the '20 season, Chen had one more year of eligibility remaining after graduating from Auburn with a degree in marketing. For her next stop, she wanted a renowned business school and a championship-level tennis program.
William & Mary offered both — the Raymond A. Mason School of Business and a team that has won back-to-back CAA championships.
Tribe coach
Jessica Giuggioli knew little about Chen other than what she found online. But having played at Kentucky in the mid-2000s, she is familiar with SEC tennis.
"It really didn't take long for me to look at her results and success she was able to have in her past and know she was going to be a great asset for us," Giuggioli said. "Our business school was a big factor for her. School is something she really wanted to emphasize here.
"Attending our school would give her the opportunity to get a great degree. At the same time, she would be able to play tennis at a high level."
Chen herself has played at a high level. She has won six of her last seven matches, the lone defeat coming in three sets at Charleston.
"She has such intensity on the court," Giuggioli said. "She's the kind of player that you can count on to show up every day and give her best effort in practice and matches."
Chen is one of seven international players on the Tribe's 12-member roster. Although she speaks English very well, she feels more comfortable in an environment with diverse backgrounds.
"It's super fun," she said. "We always tell each other I will visit after I graduate one by one. There are so many places I can visit. I love to travel and it's exciting to know that with my destination there will be someone I know waiting for me to say hello."
