Confidence is key for Adam Guo — on and off the tennis court.

In his first 4A state tennis championships last month, the Redmond High sophomore was so sure that his skills were on point that he knew the final was within his reach.

“I had some pressure with a couple of friends from school like Aaron Ong, who teased me that I couldn’t get to the final. Because of this, I knew I had to at least make the final,” said Guo, adding that he was driven to earn the respect of his classmates and to show his coaches that he could perform well on the big stage.

Guo earned three straight wins before losing in the final in Richland.

En route to second place, Guo defeated Callan Peterson of Stadium, 6-3, 6-2; Ryan Adams of Olympia, 6-0, 6-0; and Luke Brittan of Lewis and Clark, 6-1, 6-0.

Jackson Suh of Issaquah beat Guo in the final, 6-1, 6-3.

Against Brittan, whose school is located near Richland, Guo said he was initially intimidated because the local player had about 50 fans in the seats.

“I love the atmosphere you get at state, and how you aren’t really just playing for yourself, but the school. That really changes the atmosphere when you’re playing in the match,” Guo said.

The final against Suh was nerve-wracking, said Guo, who was trying to rebound from a wrist injury.

“All eyes are on you and a lot of locals come out to watch,” said Guo, noting that Suh was the more solid player during the final. During the match, Guo said that every seat was filled at the two-level site, and some people were even standing behind others.

“It would be great if I could have won the whole thing, but there is always next year,” he said. “I just got to keep working on my game and putting in the time for my craft day in and day out.”