The joy was radiating off the face of San Diego’s Yan Hui Tuesday afternoon at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.

Sitting courtside on the large Grandstand Court here, he was watching his 18-year-old daughter do something millions of parents dream of seeing: Looking at his kid playing at the U.S. Open tennis tournament.

After a fantastic juniors career that will come to an end in a few weeks, Katherine Hui had made it to the U.S. Open qualifying tournament. By virtue of finishing as runner-up in the USTA Girls Nationals in San Diego in mid-August, Hui was given a wild card into the qualifying, which sees players try to win three matches to gain a spot in the main draw of the Open.

Going up against former Top 10 player and Wimbledon finalist Genie Bouchard of Canada, Hui battled hard but was defeated, 6-2, 6 -3.

The Stanford-bound teen will still compete in New York, at the U.S. Open juniors event beginning sobre Sept. 3.

“It felt so good to be out there on such a big court and have people cheering for me,” Hui said after the match. “I was nervous, of course, but having been here for juniors last year helped me a lot.”

Hui’s progress through the junior ranks has been steady and marked by significant milestones at each stage.

She was a champion in the Southern California 12s and 14s and has truly made her mark in becoming one of the nation’s top college recruits.

Originally making a verbal commitment to play at Princeton, Hui changed her mind when the New Jersey school changed head coaches, and decided to reconsider Stanford, who had originally been recruiting her.

What helped keep the Cardinal interested was the fantastic 2022 season Hui enjoyed, where she roared to the semifinals of the USTA Girls Nationals at Barnes Tennis Center, beating highly-touted Reese Brantmeier in the process.

“She had had a knee injury and she recovered from that and we saw her again last year and she looked so much better, and was fully healthy,” said Stanford associate head coach Frankie Brennan. “And her Dad contacted me a little while after (Nationals) and asked if we were still interested, and we said absolutely.”

Hui said she’s extremely excited to begin her career at Stanford, relishing the team aspect of tennis that she’ll get to be a part of.

“Just to be on a team with so many great girls who will all push each other to get better, is so exciting for me,” Hui said. “To play college tennis and go to such a great school is an incredible opportunity.”

Brennan said he and his fellow coaches have been very impressed by Hui’s consistency from the backcourt.

“She’s got incredible footwork and foot speed, and she’s got an inner drive that you don’t always see with players at this level,” Brennan said. “We have a very deep team here, but she’s definitely good enough to find a spot in our lineup, and we know she’ll keep improving.”

After her loss to Bouchard, Hui was still upbeat, as she believed she proved to herself she could compete with female pros.

“I think definitely I will go back and work on some things, like my serve,” Hui said. “But being out there and feeling confident I can compete at this level was a big step for me.”

For Yan Hui, Tuesday’s match was a moment he won’t ever forget.

“It was amazing to watch your child on such a big court at the U.S. Open,” he said. “What a life experience for her!”