Noor Sayej, a student at West Hartford’s Kingswood Oxford School, will play in the Billie Jean King Cup in Vietnam this month.

Submitted by Jackie Pisani, Kingswood Oxford

When Kingswsood Oxford junior Noor Sayej ‘27 steps onto the court at the Billie Jean King Cup in Phan Thiet, Vietnam, she’ll be representing not only the country of Jordan, but also the perseverance, focus, and love for the sport that have defined her tennis journey since she first picked up a racquet as a toddler.

“It is thrilling to see Noor have the opportunity to play against the very best tennis players in the world and visit Vietnam for this prestigious event,” Ron Garcia, her tennis coach, said. “Her tennis potential and passion are of the highest level, and this experience will only add more fuel to her tremendous drive.”

This November, Sayej will compete in the Asia/Oceania Group III Event B of the Billie Jean King Cup – the world’s largest annual international women’s team tennis competition, organized by the International Tennis Federation (ITF). The event, postponed earlier this year due to regional conflict in the Middle East, will now be held at the NovaWorld Tennis Gardens on Vietnam’s southern coast.

Last spring, Sayej decided to leave school early and travel to Amman, Jordan, to try out for the national team. For two weeks, she trained daily with some of Jordan’s top women players – eight or nine in total – and competed in a round-robin qualifying format that tested both stamina and skill. Each athlete played against every other competitor, and based on her performance, Sayej earned the second seed on the Jordanian national team.

Noor Sayej. Courtesy photo

“It was a great opportunity and experience to be able to play tennis with some of my closest friends that I’d met in Jordan a few months ago,” she said. Sayej and her teammates will meet in Jordan first for several days of team bonding and training before traveling to Dubai for high-intensity sessions with the president of the Jordanian Tennis Federation, and then on to Vietnam for nine days of competition.

Back in Connecticut, Noor trains relentlessly – logging roughly two-and-a-half hours a day on court, followed by separate strength and conditioning workouts. She practices under Coach Steve Rogers at the Inspire Tennis Academy in Rocky Hill and at Rackets for Life in Simsbury, balancing her demanding tennis schedule with full-time academics at KO.

Her record speaks volumes. Competing for KO, Sayej has amassed a 47-3 record, reflecting her dynamic net play and aggressive on-court strategy. “Most girls like to stay on the baseline,” she explained. “There’s not much variety in it. I try to implement the drop shot and different tools, like coming to the net, to make it more fun for myself. I know I won’t enjoy it if it’s boring. I like to mix things up with drop shots and volleys – it makes the match more fun and unpredictable. Every point is different, and I love that challenge.”

Like many high-level athletes, Sayej has faced her share of physical challenges. She’s been managing a SLAP tear in her shoulder, an injury, but she continues to play through it with discipline and care. “I’ve done a lot of rehab and got a cortisone injection over the summer,” she said. “It’s something I just manage day by day.”

Sayej credits her father with nurturing her love of tennis. A former college soccer player who dabbled in tennis during high school, he recognized her potential early. “There’s a photo of me when I was two days old holding a tennis ball,” she laughed. “He must have known!”

Her father also doubles as her unofficial statistician. “He tracks all my points and match data in an app,” she said. “He knows what I’m thinking during a match.”

Sayej has her pre-match rituals. “I definitely have to bounce the ball the same number of times,” she admitted. “It helps me focus.” The night before a match, she hits lightly. In the morning, she reviews her goals and expectations with her coach. She’s also learned how to balance the mental side of the sport.

Between matches, she stays occupied. “I dont like being quiet,” she said. “It gives me more time to think about stuff. So I’ll hang out with friends, listen to music, or watch a show to stay relaxed.”

Even with her travel schedule, Sayej has been proactive in staying ahead academically. She coordinated with her teachers and advisor weeks in advance to plan for any school she’ll miss. “The school has been so supportive,” she said. “

Whether she’s grinding out a three-hour singles match, drilling drop shots at practice, or quietly studying on a long flight across the world, Sayej embodies the dedication that defines the KO spirit. From Wyvern courts to the world stage, she’s proving that passion and perseverance can take you anywhere – and that every point, like every opportunity, is worth fighting for.

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