Tennis players honor Aidan Leung following doubles victory

Nancy Leung believes that the spirit of her son, Aidan, was present on the tennis court during the recent 3A KingCo tournament.

Aidan, who passed away last May after a lengthy illness, would have enjoyed witnessing his brother, Connor, and his doubles partner, Sam Dilworth, swing their way to first place in the tourney on Oct. 22 at the Edgebrook Club in Bellevue, Connor said.

Following the fifth-seeded Mercer Island High School (MIHS) juniors’ rise to the top of the standings, Aidan was on their minds as they held an intricate, lifelike statuette of the teen in their hands while their first-place medals hung around their necks.

“It’s a big moment for both of us. Unproven… proved ourselves. Aidan in the background,” said Connor, who entered into the new doubles pairing with Dilworth just two weeks before the tournament and helped lead the Islanders to the 3A KingCo team title and a berth to districts in the spring.

Dilworth already had a connection to the Leungs away from the tennis court as he was a peer mentor in Aidan’s MIHS special education class. Aidan, who had multiple disabilities diagnosed with cerebral palsy after birth, was a senior at the school when he died at age 19 on May 26, 2022.

Nancy said it was serendipitous that Dilworth entered Connor’s life in the tennis realm. Taking the photo together with the Aidan statuette was a special moment for the Leungs to experience five months following their devastating loss, Nancy said.

Growing up in Pacific Palisades, California, the brothers often cruised to the Santa Monica Pier: Connor on his bicycle and Aidan in his wheelchair or pulled by a caregiver pedaling a tandem bike.

Aidan was non-verbal his whole life, but Nancy said he was always listening in on the family, who moved to the Island two years ago.

“He understood our conversations, he understood humor. One of his favorite shows was ‘South Park,’ which is very adult-oriented comedy, and he likes profanity, he loves that,” she said with a laugh.

Connor, 16, said that it was an immense achievement for Aidan to accompany the family on its extensive travels, during which the Leungs visited five continents and more than 35 countries over the years. The Leungs’ initial trip with Aidan and Connor was to Costa Rica about 13 years ago and their final trek with Aidan was to Whistler, British Columbia, during the last spring break. Nancy said that she and her husband, Kevin, wanted to share their love for traveling and viewing the world with their sons.

Inspired by the “Flat Stanley” children’s book, the “Flat Aidan” statuette has accompanied the family on its recent travels and is included in photos of wherever the Leungs roam.

“Take him on our adventures so he continues to make memories,” said Nancy, adding that the statuette was displayed at Aidan’s memorial service.

Connor strove to improve his tennis game as a coping mechanism following the loss of his big brother, said Nancy, adding that from an early age, Connor was very caring and kept a close eye on his brother.

“I think that just getting out and playing tennis, hitting balls is just therapeutic for some people. Or when you learn something new or how you relearn how to do something is a good way to cope with any form of stress or anxiety or what have you,” Connor said.

On the doubles front this season, Connor is undefeated while playing with Dilworth late in the season and Logan Herzinger early on.

After learning that Dilworth mentored Aidan, Connor said that Aidan’s memory resided in the back of their minds while the duo developed a game plan — and a stronger friendship.

“We knew that we had something,” Connor said of the duo’s connectedness on the court, which they hope to fortify through copious hours of training leading up to districts. At that tourney, a state berth will lie within reach of the partners and the entire talented MIHS squad.

Aidan wasn’t able to attend Connor’s matches in person, but relished watching tennis on television with his family.

“He likes to hear the chair umpire call the scores and he likes to hear us scream and yell on great points and stuff,” Nancy said.

The MIHS senior would have participated in the school’s graduation ceremony last June, said Nancy, adding that the school included a moving tribute to Aidan in the program.

It reads: “Aidan, you touched our lives in more ways than we can ever say. You were a light in all of our days. We hope you are running free wherever you are — Your MIHS Family.”

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