New Knights makes mark in girls’ tennis

Freshman Su leads WW-PN to historic win in states

By: Justin Feil
   Christine Su wasn’t sure where she would fit into the West Windsor-Plainsboro High North girls’ tennis lineup in her first year of varsity girls’ tennis.
   "I was a little nervous," the Knight freshman said. "I knew there were a lot of good players on the team."
   Enough good players that WW-P North became the first program in school history to qualify for a state tournament. Su came into that lineup at the very top, playing first singles, and it’s helped make North a stronger overall team.
   "She’s a tremendous addition," said WW-PN head coach Albert Paulsson. "We don’t have one franchise player, but she definitely has been very consistent. She’s won us some big matches."
   Tuesday, she gave the Knights a solid start by polishing off Kelly Chin, 6-2, 6-0, in quick time as WW-PN defeated Colonia, 5-0. It was the first state tournament win in school history. The sixth seeded Knights advanced to Thursday’s scheduled Central Jersey Group III match against third-seeded Red Bank, the team that knocked them out last year in the opening round after they had barely qualified. This year’s solid record made a big difference.
   "It definitely helped, that we started with a middle seed instead of the seed we had last year," said Paulsson, whose team was 8-3 heading into Thursday’s match. "It gives you a competitive opening match, but it gives you time to find your game and adds to the experience of seeing different playing styles that you’ve never seen before. Starting off with a top seed is difficult, especially when you haven’t seen them before.
   "It’s a major stepping stone for the program," he said of Tuesday’s victory. "It’s a big confidence builder. It’s tough when you play tournaments with a team only in its second year. You don’t have that experience and tournament savvy. But the team rose to the occasion and Christine gave us a good start. It’s a good sign of maturity."
   Should WW-PN have won Thursday, it would play Tuesday against the winner of second-seeded Middletown South vs. Monmouth Regional. Su, who improved to 11-3 this season with the win Tuesday, is ready to continue to make school history.
   "It was exciting today," she said. "I’ve never played in a tournament like this where it’s a team event. We’re doing pretty well with this competition. We have a pretty strong team."
   A former soccer player who still enjoys occasionally playing the game, Su became more focused on tennis three years ago when she began playing regional tournaments and taking regular lessons.
   "I can’t play both sports," Su said. "I tried, but your level of play goes down in both. Tennis is more of an individual sport, and soccer is something you have to expect everyone to play their best. For tennis, you can always depend on yourself."
   So far, Su hasn’t disappointed herself or her teammates. She was the only Knight player to make it beyond the semifinals at the Mercer County Tournament last week, where she advanced to the consolation round and lost to Princeton Day School’s Alexis Jacobi. Her only other losses of the season have come against West Windsor-Plainsboro High South’s Celene Chang, the MCT first singles champion.
   In fact, it was Chang that gave her a rude welcoming to varsity play when she handed her a loss in their opening-season match. But Su didn’t feel as bad as she could have because of Chang’s well-known record.
   "I wasn’t really expecting to win," Su said. "I just told myself to forget about the match. She’s a role model. I hope to be as consistent and strong as she is as a player."
   Su has already proven to be both consistent and strong, which is part of the reason that Paulsson sees a bright future for his program as long as she’s a part of it. Though she’s only a freshman and the only newcomer to the Knights’ varsity this season, she sets an example for everyone on the team.
   "She’s a great worker," Paulsson said. "She has an incredible work ethic. She’s good, but she’s humble about it. She’s very reserved. She just comes out and quietly does an outstanding job."
   She, along with the first doubles team of Lauren Cheatham and Jessica Chen, will play in the state flight tournament that begins this weekend. There, Su could face some of the best players in the entire state.
   "I was kind of surprised to make it," Su said of the state singles bid. "Coach called me to tell me I was in it. It’s a real challenge, but it’s good to play someone at a higher level than you. I just expect myself to do my very best. I have to try my best and never give up."
   Over the next three years, there won’t be as many of those higher level players for Su to face as she continues to improve and move up on the state level. And as excited about how well she has played in her first year of varsity and what the state singles tournament means for her, Paulsson can’t wait to see what happens in the years ahead.
   "She has such great potential," he said. "Her game is already so very solid. But she has great athletic ability and she works hard. And she as such a focus and concentration, there’s so much potential there. Over the next three years, she’s really going to leave her mark in tennis."
   In her first season of varsity, Christine Su already has made her mark — right at the top for the WW-P North girls’ tennis team.