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Sibling Success
Ladue tennis players Aiden and Grace Qian bring their nonprofit tennis program to St. Louis VINCENT HSIAO photo editor-in-chief
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HE SUN GOES DOWN AT THE Fifth Grade Center tennis courts as elementary aged children head to their parents cars on a warm Sunday in July. Sophomore Aiden and senior Grace Qian look on, having finished teaching another lesson to their youth tennis program, Qian Tennis. The siblings brought the nonprofit from Madison, Wisconsin to St. Louis after moving last year. “We decided that it would be fun to bring tennis more into the community and get more people involved,” Grace said. Aiden and Grace got their start in tennis five years ago, when they started taking group lessons themselves. Today, both siblings are top players who helped earn Ladue state championships last season. “Everyone brought really positive energy,” Aiden said. “It was easy to stay focused and be able to get pumped up during matches.” As for Qian Tennis, their focus is not only to sharpen the skills of young Ladue students, but to help those in need. At the end of their first year, the Qian siblings were able to donate $250 in profits to their old school’s tennis program. This year, they are looking to donate balls and rackets to an underprivileged St. Louis school. “We already gained so much beyond the monetary value of it and we actually plan on giving that money back,” Grace said.“We want to make as big of an impact as [we can] on our local community. That’s the goal.” P
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panorama august 2023 // laduepublications.com Aiden and Grace Qian stand for a portrait after instructing a tennis class at the Ladue Fifth Grade Center July 30. They have formed a strong relationship through tennis and school. “I respect Aiden so much as a human being, as a rising tennis star, as an athlete, as a computer science genius. There’s a lot of things that I cannot do that Aiden does very well and I’m really glad to have him by my side,” Grace said. (Photo by Vincent Hsiao)