When Jason Chapman watches Rixing Xu on the court, it can be difficult to remember how far she has come.

Xu, a 2011 Newport High School grad, finished an unbeaten season for Chapman and the Bellevue College women’s tennis team last month with a straight set win in the NWAACC number one singles match. Not only did she go undefeated, Xu won every set she played in 2012, even those against players from four-year schools during the preseason.

But it was only five years ago the then eighth-grader came to Robinswood Tennis Center, where Chapman also coaches, and tried out for the club’s lowest level youth team. With only a few months experience, Xu was unable to make the cut on more than one occasion.

“She kept coming back,” Chapman said. “She finally made it and when she did she immediately made this huge jump.”

The growth wasn’t enough to make the Newport varsity roster her freshman year and instead meant more time with Chapman at Robinswood, which both said was probably for the better at that stage in her development. Chapman said while some players focus more intently on tournaments rather than training and skill development, Xu has built her game based her game on her own strengths and weaknesses rather than the scoreboard.

“Rixing will work on her game like no one else will,” he said. “She is the type of player that will go out every day.”

After one more year at Bellevue College, she will likely reap the rewards.

The unbeaten season has attracted more than a few four-year colleges and Chapman said he wouldn’t have been surprised if Xu has made the choice to make the jump after her freshman year. But for Xu, who only played two years of high school tennis, it is as much about enjoying the process as reaching the next stop.

“It has made me more outgoing,” she said of her time on the court. “You connect with other people and grow with it.”

According to Chapman, her growth has been as great as anyone he has coached at either BC or Robinswood.

“She’s dominating,” he said. “I would consider it one of the best years we’ve had, probably the best.”