University of Illinois Springfield (UIS) men’s tennis player Alex Chan has been selected as the Male Spotlight Athlete for the month of October.
Alex Chan is 7-0 in singles this season and holds a 4-1 record in doubles with partner Oscar Toro.
The Prairie Stars (2-0) fought to a 5-2 victory against Lindenwood University (0-2) on Sept. 22. Chan picked up a 6-4, 6-1 victory against Lindenwood’s Alberto Vergara (1-2) in No. 4 singles. Toro and Chan also earned a 6-4 victory against Lindenwood’s Michelle Gaspari/Carlos Clerins (1-1) in No. 3 doubles.
UIS competed in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Midwest Regional Tournament on Sept. 28-30. Chan captured the singles title in the ‘B’ flight after securing six consecutive victories. The sophomore from Uxbridge, England recorded a 7-5, 6-7, 10-7 victory against Walsh University’s Joao Campos (0-5); a 6-0, 6-3 win against Ashland University’s Jordan Phelps (1-5); a 6-1, 6-2 victory against Wayne State University’s Nicholas Ang (2-1); a 6-3, 2-1 win against Grand Valley State University’s D.J. Colantone (5-1); a 6-2, 7-6 victory against Wayne State’s Max Rink (3-1) and a 6-3, 2-1 win against the University of Davenport’s Remy Johansen (5-1).
Chan/Toro went 3-1 in the ‘B’ flight of doubles and advanced to the tournament semifinals. The Pair scored an 8-3 victory against Walsh’s Clemens Wagner/Joseph Aleong (1-2), an 8-6 win against Hillsdale College’s Julien Clouette/Michael Szabo and an 8-6 victory against Grand Valley State’s Nicolas Welker/Eric Zwemer (2-1). Chan/Toro fell to the eventual ‘B’ flight champion pair of the University of Missouri-St. Louis’s Karl Heinrichs/Adrian Lessing (4-1) in an 8-2 decision.
The Prairie Stars begin the Spring with a pair of exhibitions against NCAA Division I opponents. UIS faces off with Saint Louis University on Feb. 2 at 4:45 p.m. at St. Clair Tennis Club in O'Fallon. The Prairie Stars then battle Illinois State University on Feb. 8 at 1 p.m. in Bloomington.
UIS clashes with Northwood University on Feb. 9 at 7 p.m. at the Five Star Tennis Courts in Springfield.
GETTING TO KNOW ALEX CHAN
Who is your Favorite Band/Artist?
Catfish and the Bottlemen. Modern Brit rock at its finest, alongside, old school Arctic Monkeys, and Royal Blood.
If you could have any animal as a pet, what would it be?
Probably a red panda. I’d go with a regular panda, but they only sleep and eat. I already have a brother; I don’t need another.
What is your secret talent?
Being really good at pretending that I know how to play tennis.
Who is your favorite professional athlete?
Kei Nishikori. Just look him up. You’ll see why.
What is the strangest nickname you have?
I have many, but probably Chandelier. A clever play on words there from the Brits.
What is your favorite movie?
Has to be the Rush Hour trilogy. Not only do I share a surname with Jackie Chan but Chris Tucker reminds me of my first coach too.
What is your favorite food?
Has to be sushi. Or chicken teriyaki. Honestly, Asian food just does it right.
When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to be a vet or a zookeeper, but little did I know you needed a medical degree. Not my cup of tea, sorry.
Have you ever traveled outside of the country? If so, where?
Yes, I live in England, and travelled to some 20 or so countries, including Hong Kong, Jamaica, and a fair few countries in Europe. Oh, and ‘Murica.
If you could turn any activity into an Olympic sport, what would you have a good chance at winning a medal for?
Being obnoxious and incredibly loud. Yep, that’s me.
Who on the team is the best-dressed?
The man from Belgium himself,
Menno Servaes.
Who on the team is the best dancer?
Mr.
Samuel Clarke, he never stops.
Who on the team is the joker/prankster (Best sense of humor)?
Old Logibear [
Logan Burgess Hayes]
Who on the team is the best trash talker?
The big dog doubles partner,
Oscar Toro.
Who on the team is the most outgoing?
Sam seems to know just about everyone nowadays.
Who on the team is the most awkward?
Tommy Martinez. Just, go introduce yourself to him. You’ll see.
What is your team’s go-to pregame song?
Opa – Dimitri Vegas and Like Mike. Absolute banger to hear in the van.
What is your major?
I am a psychology major.
Who is your inspiration and why?
I have to say Kei Nishikori again, one of the most successful Asian athletes around, and he is having a great comeback this season after his injury. I could say the same about my brother, but I can’t let him know that I look up to him.
What is your driving force/motivation?
The fact that I know I have it in me to be better. Every single day, I can be a better me, and I have myself from yesterday to compete with.
What are your favorite aspects about sports and why?
The constant challenge adds some meaning to me waking up every day, and having a team here in college to play with and travel with makes it even more enjoyable. Alongside this, getting to see so many places and meet so many people, is awesome. Feeling a sense of accomplishment in a different way, not just completing an assignment or finishing work, adds a whole other dimension to my life,
What is your favorite non-athletics memory at UIS?
Probably any memory that involves seeing a dog on campus. There’s just so many and I love them so much.
What is your favorite athletics memory at UIS?
Flashback to the end of September when I won the ‘B’ flight at regionals in Michigan. It felt great to finally have my effort pay off, and having the whole team out there with me, and seeing what our team has to offer this year really makes me feel optimistic.
Off the court, what are your favorite hobbies?
Playing video games, playing guitar and going on walks. Things to take my mind off of tennis for a while, but keeping me engaged in different ways.
List a little-known, but amazing fact about yourself
If I splay my hands out as wide as I can, it kinda looks like a Ninja Turtle hand.
Why did you choose UIS?
The campus looked quite nice, plus I really connected with Coach Schall. I wanted to experience something a little different from the regular big city business, and Springfield felt like a good change.
What is your favorite class and why?
My favourite class (yes, we spell favourite with a u) so far at UIS has to be “Who am I?” with Hank Nicholson. It was just such a fun class, Hank really knows what he’s talking about, and keeps it interesting enough to make it a worthwhile class.
Who is your favorite professor and why?
Elise LoBue. She’s just such a great professor and really cares about every one of her students. I currently have a class with her about socialism, and somehow even socialism is fun with Professor LoBue.
What are your plans after college?
I’m unsure about what exactly I want to do, but I will probably look for a GA position somewhere, and look into more tennis coaching opportunities.
What do you want your lasting legacy to be as a student-athlete at UIS?
I want to be remembered as one of the most hardworking student-athletes at UIS, both on the court and in the classroom. Not necessarily with the biggest wins or best grades, though it would be nice, but for the amount of effort I bring every day.
