Khawaja tests himself against older competition

The 29th annual Emma Hubbs Tennis Classic is, above all, about having fun.

That’s not to say some of the young tennis players can’t take on a challenge along the way, and on Tuesday night, that’s just what Kaiser Khawaja did. The 12-year-old Khawaja tested himself by entering the 18 boys singles division.

“I just want to see what I can do,” Khawaja said. “Really, I’m having fun, so what is there to lose?”

One of the tennis instructors at the event, Hayley Kent, enjoyed seeing one of her students step up to the plate to see what he could do against older boys.

“It’s always super exciting when we get kids like that,” Kent said. “One of our instructors here, Avery Meyer, when she was his age, she was playing up in almost every division she could. We like to see those kids who want to be pushed just a little bit harder, play up, and see what it is they have to aspire to.”

There were five boys in the 18 boys singles division, and Khawaja placed fourth with 11 points.

Khawaja is in an experimental stage when it comes to sports. A seventh grader at Reagan Middle School, he plays on the basketball team there. Soccer is his favorite sport, with tennis a close second. He also plays ice hockey, roller hockey and baseball.

In 2 years, when he’s a freshman at Dixon High School, he plans to compete in soccer, basketball and tennis.

“I don’t like to just sit around,” Khawaja said. “I want to always be doing something.”

He keeps himself busy for an hour a day, 5 days a week, with tennis lessons at the Emma Hubbs Courts. Tennis interests him because of the need to be agile on the court to run down shots, but also needing to generate powerful shots.

“It’s really interesting because every day you’re learning something new,” Khawaja said. “They’re very interactive, and they just help us on what we need to learn. I’ve been doing four sessions so far, and every time I feel I’m getting better and better.”

When asked what aspect of tennis he needs to work on the most, Khawaja didn’t hesitate.

“I need to work on serves, because if you can get that first serve in, that’s really good,” Khawaja said. “If you don’t get the first serve in, then you have to get the second serve in. I really need to work on my accuracy.”