Moments after her opening-round loss in her North Puget Sound League tennis tournament Monday morning, Federal Way freshman Jillian Chong looked around for the one person who provides solace in moments of chaos — her teammate and older sister Olivia Chong.

Jillian Chong knew she wouldn’t appear anytime soon. Her older sister, a junior, was stuck in the classroom, taking one Cambridge test after another and wasn’t scheduled for her own match until 3 p.m. that afternoon.

Even without the support, Jillian Chong rallied to win her first consolation match and faced Enumclaw’s Anna Sanders in a second to continue her season. The match came down to a third and final set to determine a winner, and Olivia Chong arrived just in time to give her younger sister a brief pep talk. The words resonated with Jillian Chong as she dominated Sanders with a 6-0 third set win at Auburn High School.

For Jillian Chong, the win means she’ll make her first-ever appearance at the West Central District Tournament on May 19.

“I kind of had a lot of motivation from my peers,” Jillian Chong said of her win. “They told me I wanted to go home with a winning feeling, so I just wanted to do that.”

Jillian Chong arrived at the Auburn tennis courts an hour and a half before her morning match to hit balls with her mother, JoAnn Chong.

But Jillian Chong was distracted.

Her older sister and biggest supporter was noticeably absent, and Jillian Chong felt it. Olivia Chong knew her sister was particularly nervous and antsy because she wasn’t there.

In between testing, Olivia Chong made sure to text Jillian Chong, reminding her to relax and breathe.

The sisters have played tennis and supported one another since Olivia Chong was 6 and Jillian Chong was 4, both falling in love with the sport as members of Boeing Tennis Club.

“They are very close,” JoAnn Chong said. “They have little rival moments here and there, but, for the most part, they’re best friends.”

Jillian Chong faced Mount Rainier’s Ciera Crone, the No. 1-ranked player from the NPSL Cascade division, in her first match shortly after 9:30 a.m.

Crone made Jillian Chong work from the start.

She forced the freshman to run the length of the court and produced more than enough tricky volley shots to beat her 6-3, 6-4, sending her to the consolation bracket.

At just over 5-feet tall, Jillian Chong was the smallest of the 40 competitors on the third day of the tournament, but she packs one of the most powerful arms in singles play.

Federal Way coach Josh Drewry could tell it wasn’t Jillian Chong’s play that cost her the opening match. He said he knew his feisty freshman had other things on her mind.

“I think she misses her sister, and she’s thinking about it,” Drewry said after the opening-match loss. “She played right there with the Cascade’s No. 1 player. We just came up a little short.”

Jillian Chong doesn’t like losing. A 10-2 regular season record is proof.

She faced Kentwood’s Reem Slim next in her consolation match just minutes after her opening-round loss. The prior loss both irritated and fueled her.

She made Slim work the full end of the court, and her effortless-looking lob shots put Slim away, 6-0, 6-3.

Even after the win, however, Jillian Chong was still dazed. She looked around for Olivia Chong — still no sign of her.

“That was hard,” Jillian Chong said. “We’ve been there for each other’s wins all year, so it was kind of weird to look around for her and only see my mom and coach.”

After an hour and a half break, she took the court again. A win meant her season would continue at the West Central District Tournament.

A quick glance before heading onto Court 1 for her match against Sanders, Olivia Chong still hadn’t arrived.

After Jillian Chong built a 2-0 lead in the first set, Sanders stormed back to take it 6-4. In between sets, Drewry told his freshman she needed to breathe and to stop rushing her serves. She took the advice, and it helped her win the second set, 7-6.

Finally, as Jillian Chong prepared to take the court for the decisive third set, Olivia Chong emerged from their dad’s car and rushed to her younger sister.

“We have little things we say to each other in big moments,” Olivia Chong said. “I just looked at her and said, ‘You got this JJ.’ I think it comforted her and calmed her down knowing I was finally here. We have that effect on each other.”

The talk lasted for about a minute, but its effect lasted over 10 minutes as Jillian Chong dismantled Sanders for six straight points and the win.

Because of her late arrival, Olivia Chong had less than 10 minutes to warm up before her own match. It didn’t faze her because exactly 52 minutes later, with her youger sister cheering her on, Olivia Chong punched her ticket to the WCD Tournament with a 6-0, 6-1 win.

Olivia Chong makes her second appearance in the tournament, but 2017 will be the first time the sisters compete in it together.

Olivia Chong knows her voice and words ease Jillian Chong’s nerves in big, unfamiliar tennis moments.

As Jillian Chong prepares to face bigger and better competition at the WCD for the first time, Olivia Chong will be right there to provide the familiar comfort her sister needs.

“A lot of people like to compare siblings,” Olivia Chong said. “I’ll let her know that she did this, got here, herself. I didn’t help her or do it for her. She did it. She earned it and did it beautifully. She deserves to play on that stage.”

Federal Way junior Olivia Chong secured her second appearance at the West Central District tennis tournament in just 52 minutes, Monday. JEROD YOUNG, the Mirror