{"id":5972,"date":"2025-11-13T19:33:18","date_gmt":"2025-11-13T12:33:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/?p=5972"},"modified":"2025-11-14T07:10:07","modified_gmt":"2025-11-14T00:10:07","slug":"ethan-music-is-my-medicine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/ethan-music-is-my-medicine\/","title":{"rendered":"Ethan: Music is my medicine"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Ethan Matthew Koh almost always has a tune playing in his mind as he plays in any tennis match. Diagnosed with ADHD, the music keeps him focused on court.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI would often drift away while playing, and my game was inconsistent. The music I keep playing in my head helped me to focus,\u201d said Ethan who made it to the quarter-finals of the ongoing 30<sup>th<\/sup> edition of the Tep Khunnah Memorial Cup, an ITF J30 event taking place at the Morodok Techo Tennis Complex.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He was beaten by China\u2019s Yue Yu 6-2, 6-2 in the last eight of the boys singles competition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ethan was diagnosed with ADHD when he was seven, around the same time he started playing tennis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI also tried golf and swimming but opted for tennis. With golf you are playing against yourself and swimming did not appeal to me,\u201d said the lad from Singapore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI fell in love with tennis after watching the live telecast of (Novak) Djokovic beating (Andy) Murray in Roland Garros. I had to pick one sport and tennis was it.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ethan added that tennis provided the challenge he needed as he was able to play intensively for much longer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt was not easy though. Initially my ADHD was a barrier in tournaments as I tend to lose focus. You definitely have to try harder than the others,\u201d added Ethan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Fernando Verdasco, a former top ten tennis player, is among prominent athletes with ADHD. Gymnastics legend Simone Biles, swimming great Michael Phelps, basketball superstars Michael Jordan and Shaquille O\u2019Neal are other prominent athletes who made it bid despite of ADHD.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cMy advise to others who have the same condition is to not let it affect you. Be confident of your own ability and if you have the talent, go for it. Just keep going if you love it whether it is sports or anything else,\u201d said Ethan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ethan has been representing Singapore in the junior tournaments. He played the first singles for Singapore at the ITF World Juniors Asia Oceania pre-qualifying event in Sri Lanka.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI played the singles and we beat Syria and Saudi but had to withdraw from the tournament because of Covid,\u201d said Ethan who was also in the island nation&#8217;s Davis Cup Junior teams in Kazakhstan (2023) and Sri Lanka (2024).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-blockspare-blockspare-carousel blockspare-ab711236-2961-4\" blockspare-animation=\"\"><style>.blockspare-ab711236-2961-4 .blockspare-carousel-wrap span:before,.blockspare-ab711236-2961-4 .blockspare-carousel-wrap ul li button{color:#000}.blockspare-ab711236-2961-4 .blockspare-carousel-wrap .slick-slider .slick-dots > li button{background-color:#000}.blockspare-ab711236-2961-4 .blockspare-carousel-wrap .blockspare-gallery-figure{border-radius:0px}.blockspare-ab711236-2961-4 .slick-slider .slick-arrow:after{background-color:#fff}.blockspare-ab711236-2961-4 .blockspare-carousel-wrap{margin-top:30px;margin-bottom:30px}<\/style><div class=\"blockspare-blocks blockspare-carousel-wrap has-gutter-space-1 blockspare-original blockspare-navigation-small lpc-navigation-1 bs-has-equal-height blockspare-slides-2\"><div class=\"blockspare-carousel-items\"><div data-next=\"fas fa-chevron-right\" data-prev=\"fas fa-chevron-left\" data-slick=\"{&quot;loop&quot;:true,&quot;autoplay&quot;:true,&quot;slidesToShow&quot;:2,&quot;speed&quot;:&quot;1000&quot;,&quot;arrows&quot;:true,&quot;dots&quot;:false}\"><div><div class=\"blockspare-gallery-figure blockspare-hover-item\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ethan-4-1024x905.jpg\"\/><\/div><\/div><div><div class=\"blockspare-gallery-figure blockspare-hover-item\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ethan-3-683x1024.jpg\"\/><\/div><\/div><div><div class=\"blockspare-gallery-figure blockspare-hover-item\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ethan-1024x1004.jpeg\"\/><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Despite being only 17, Ethan also has a side hustle, coaching younger kids taking up tennis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI love coaching and helping other kids. I t helps me to earn some money. Maybe it is also because I like bossing people around,\u2019\u2019 he jested.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Despite the quarter-final defeat in Phnom Penh, Ethan was happy with his performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI played quite well. I had some chance of getting further but I still enjoy playing to improve some aspects of my game. Unfortunately, for me this time all my opponents in singles and doubles had been against Chinese players,\u201d added Ethan who trains predominantly in Slovenia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ethan, who wants to play collegiate D1 tournaments, trains in Slovenia between March-June under the guidance of Martin Rmus and from August-September with coach Tom Kocevar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt is important to have a coach that understands someone with ADHD, and guide and motivate. I am lucky to have coaches who understand my needs,\u201d said Ethan, who will likely start his national service soon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-67d88fcb4fa37121cbad99f856219401\">Singapore&#8217;s National Service (NS) is a mandatory two-year conscription for all male citizens, starting at age 18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-d35e2b63cd25254d386f350016cb6525\">He admitted that the break would affect his progress in tennis but was prepared to come back stronger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cMy parents (Chan Yin Wan and Richard Koh) and Luka Kovac, my agent have been instrumental in guiding me through my tennis career,\u201d said Ethan who is currently pursuing online education in business and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>His quarter-final appearance in Phnom Penh was his best in the singles this season. But he has made two finals in the boys doubles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He and American partner Brandon Duan were beaten in the final of the J30 Phan Thiet earlier this month. He also made the final of the J30 Jakarta in July, partnering Benjamin Siengham of Thailand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>KOREA ASSURED OF BOYS DOUBLES CROWN<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Meanwhile, top seeded Shin Jaejun-Bon Hong Koo will play Kim Kyungone-Kim Se Hun in an all-Korean final for them boy&#8217;s doubles crown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Jaejun-Bon Hong kept up with their top billing, defeating China&#8217;s Yefei Song-Haoxuan Xu 6-3, 6-4 in the semi-finals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As for Kyungone-Se Hun, they upstaged second seeds Fedor Evdokimov-Joachim Mika Gunawan (AIN-Ina) 3-6, 6-1, 12-10.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the girl&#8217;s doubles, China&#8217;s Hanyu Wang-Zijie Yang upstaged the Malaysian-Singapore pair of Daania Daniella Hazli-Kai Ning Chanya Ng, the second seeds,  7-5, 4-6, 10-6. They will now play the Chinese Taipiei-China combination of Chi Pei-Hsuan-Ai Teng in the final.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>RESULTS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Boys singles quarter-finals: <\/strong>Shin Jaejun (Kor) [3] bt Ganuka Fernando (Sri) [6] 6-1, 6-0; Yue Yu (Chn) bt Ethan Matthew Koh (Sgp) [7] 6-2, 6-2; Takuto Matsuo (Hkg) [8] bt Haoxuan Xu (Chn) 6-2, 5-7, 6-3; Xiaozheng Chen (Chn) bt Yefei Song (Chn) 6-4, 6-4<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Boys doubles semi-finals: <\/strong>Kyungone Kim-Se Hun Kim (Kor) [4] bt Fedor Evdokimov-Joachim Mika Gunawan (Ina) [2] 3-6, 6-1, 12-10; Shin Jaejun-Bon Hong Koo (Kor) [1] bt  Yefei Song-Haoxuan Xu (Chn) 6-3, 6-4<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Girls singles quarter-finals: <\/strong>Zijie Yang (Chn) [3] bt Chi Pei-Hsuan (Tpe) [7] 6-4, 7-6 (2); Daania Daniella Hazli (Mas) [1] bt Riya Gangamma Pudiyokkada (Ind) 6-2, 6-1; Hanyu Wang (Chn) [8] bt Youwen Shi (Chn) 3-6, 2-1 <em>Retired<\/em>; Kai Ning Chanya Ng (Sgp) [2] bt Ai Teng (Chn) [5] 6-2, 6-1<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Girls doubles semi-finals:<\/strong> Hanyu Wang-Zijie Yang (Chn) bt Daania Daniella Hazli-Kai Ning Chanya Ng (Sgp) [1] 7-5, 4-6, 10-6; Chi Pei-Hsuan-Ai Teng (Tpe-Chn) [4] bt Qingan Chen-Youwen Shi (Chn) 4-6, 7-5, 10-7<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ethan Matthew Koh almost always has a tune playing in his mind as he plays in any tennis<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5974,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[51],"class_list":["post-5972","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-newsbeat","tag-tennis"],"aioseo_notices":[],"featured_image_urls":{"full":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ethan-2.jpg",1199,799,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ethan-2-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ethan-2-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ethan-2-768x512.jpg",640,427,true],"large":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ethan-2-1024x682.jpg",640,426,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ethan-2.jpg",1199,799,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ethan-2.jpg",1199,799,false],"morenews-large":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ethan-2-825x575.jpg",825,575,true],"morenews-medium":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ethan-2-590x410.jpg",590,410,true]},"author_info":{"info":["admin"]},"category_info":"<a href=\"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/category\/newsbeat\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Newsbeat<\/a>","tag_info":"Newsbeat","comment_count":"0","jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ethan-2.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5972","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5972"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5972\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5996,"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5972\/revisions\/5996"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5974"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5972"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5972"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5972"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}