Grant Fenton casually plays tennis. But continuing the tradition of the Fox Chapel boys tennis team is an endeavor the junior takes seriously.

Even while pursuing other activities, Fenton always found time growing up to attend tennis clinics with Foxes coach Alex Slezak.

“I’ve played since I was 5,” Fenton said. “I played casually in the summers, and I always went to clinics with coach Alex. I’ve always liked it.”

Even with the turnover in the roster, Fox Chapel found a way to advance past the first round of the WPIAL Class 3A team tournament. The fourth-seeded Foxes beat Pine-Richland, 4-1, in the first round.

Fenton is the No. 2 singles player for Fox Chapel.

“We lost a lot of starters last year,” Fenton said. “This year, we were kind of a bunch of new guys except for Frank (Siegel). We wanted to keep having success the varsity program has been having.”

The Foxes met No. 4 Shady Side Academy in the quarterfinals, but results were too late for this edition. Fox Chapel beat the Bulldogs, 3-2, in the regular season to win the section crown.

Fenton, who teamed with Siegel, who was the No. 1 singles player for the team, to win the section doubles championship. They also won in the first round at WPIALs.

Siegel, who also plays basketball with Fenton, said it takes time to adjust between seasons.

“It takes me about a week to get ready for tennis,” Siegel said. “At first, it’s weird. It takes a short time to get back into it.”

Fenton wasn’t sure where he would settle into the lineup for Fox Chapel. He was hoping to find a spot in the singles lineup.

“I felt good about that,” said Fenton about landing at No. 2 singles. “I opened with a couple wins, and that helped me be successful.”

Fenton said this year he has focused on being more consistent with striking the ball.

“I’ve been swinging with more confidence on ground strokes,” Fenton said. “My coaches helped me a lot. I have more power and spin.”

Fenton said he was excited to have another match with Shady Side Academy. The neighboring schools had a close duel during the regular season.

Fenton said the Foxes showed in the first round of the playoffs that they knew how to handle things.

“I don’t think anyone was surprised we won,” Fenton said. “We didn’t do anything special. We stuck to who we are.”