Zach Kuo | Freshman | Elkhorn High School
Despite earning runner-up in State tennis singles as a freshman at Elkhorn High School (EHS), Zach Kuo has stayed humble. He keeps the focus on teamwork and supporting his teammates. “Our team is just a great team,” he said. “Not many teams have the ability to stay together as one and surround each other even though we might be losing. That’s something really different about this team.”
Zach comes from a tennis-loving family. His father played tennis in high school, and his older sister, Kristal, was second in the state when she played for EHS. Zach spends most of his free time on the court, whether playing with friends, practicing with his sister on the weekends, or teaching his younger brother, Max. His mom loves watching him play, but she says “singles are very stressful because it’s just my kid against the other kid. But doubles are more relaxing.”
In the off-season, Zach travels to USTA tournaments around the country. He especially enjoyed traveling to Texas last summer for Zonals, a national team tournament. “It’s fun to have teammates for the support. And after we play tennis, we just hang out at the hotel or go to the pool.” After a rough tournament season last year, he’s focused on improving this summer. “That motivates me to work on conditioning and my mental game.”
Off the court, Zach is also on Student Council. They meet three times a week to plan charity events such as the Mr. EHS pageant, which donates the proceeds to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Their most recent project has been selling lanyards to raise money for flood victims.
According to Elkhorn tennis Coach Holtz, Zach has the tennis smarts to go far. “What sets Zach apart is his positive mindset. He doesn’t overanalyze when things are challenging. His in-game strategy makes him so hard to beat. Zach is the most skilled player I have ever worked with.”
Zach has big dreams for the future. He hopes to play for a D-1 team and make it as far as he can into the NCAA tournament, but he also wants to continue his success at EHS. “I want to win every state championship from now on.”
