Princeton Packet Athlete of the Week

PHS’ Shatashvili streaks to repeat title

By: Justin Feil
   In his first two Mercer County Tournaments, Ilia Shatashvili’s match had been the clinching match for the Princeton High boys’ tennis team.
   His third MCT was a charm as Shatashvili was able to finish early and enjoy a role reversal as he rooted the Little Tigers’ other four flights on to victory.
   "My match started a little earlier than everyone else’s," the PHS junior said. "So we got done earlier."
   Shatashvili had plenty to do with the early finish for first singles. He captured his third MCT individual title — his first came at second singles before winning first singles last season – by going almost unscathed through the four rounds.
   After losing two games in his first match of the tournament last Monday against Wayne Jenq of West Windsor-Plainsboro North, he went on a streak of 40 straight games without a loss before Hightstown’s Chris Clayton took two games off him in the second set of Shatashvili’s 6-0, 6-2 title-winning match.
   Shatashvili was the first of five Princeton flights to win as the Little Tigers completed a clean sweep of the county for their third straight team title last Wednesday.
   Ilia Shatashvili is the Princeton Packet Athlete of the Week.
   "I came into the tournament just trying to play solid tennis," said Shatashvili, who lost in matches to top state teams Millburn and Newark Academy on Saturday. "I was on a hot streak. Being consistent and winning 40 games in a row was great. I guess that’s hard to do.
   "I started off kind of sleepy, I was lazy with my feet. After that, I was playing well. My second match went well and I went off of that. I didn’t know what to expect. I just came in trying to play my best game. Normally when I play my best game, that’s when I’m OK."
   Shatashvili is better than OK at Mercer County Park, the site of the MCT. He’s unbeaten in matches at MCP, including in the state tournament, which PHS enters next week.
   "There’s something about those courts," said PHS head coach David Black after his team improved to 15-2 with a win over Hopewell Valley Wednesday before taking on Lawrenceville on Thursday. "He has yet to lose a match at Mercer County Park. I’m glad we play states there."
   The MCP courts must favor Shatashvili because he didn’t have any easier a route to his third title than in the years past. It would have been hard to predict a 40-game winning streak just by looking at who he had to play.
   "That certainly was impressive," Black said. "You can tell when Ilia gets in a zone and he’s incredibly focused. You don’t need to say a word to him out there. He’s dictating every point. He’s in control from start to finish.
   "I didn’t think Ilia had a particularly good draw for him. If you look at the schools of the players he faced, it was (WW-P) North, PDS, Hun and then Chris Clayton (the second seed). He was just in a zone."
   Shatashvili credits his strong play with a good offseason that included two tournaments last summer in Europe and four of the national USTA tournaments in the United States. It hasn’t hurt that the 15-year-old has started a serious growth spurt.
   "In the past two years, I’ve grown a lot," he confirmed. "I’m still young for most of my class. This offseason, I tried to work on my physical fitness. I tried to work on my footwork and that may have helped. I’m more comfortable and confident. During winter break, I did a lot of work to improve my fitness overall.
   "I didn’t get very tired in this tournament, so I guess it helped. And I think I was moving my feet well. Plus, I played so many tournaments this summer. I piled up a lot of wins. I had some good results."
   Those good results have continued this spring, as Shatashvili has compiled a 9-4 record for the Little Tigers at first singles.
   "Ilia has been playing much more consistently this year," Black noted. "He’s become a smarter player too. He’s getting wiser with his experience. The USTA tournaments are terrific competition and Ilia, he’s a top 10 in his section, so he’s got the talent."
   It makes him an important component to the Little Tigers as they aim for another Group III state title and more. A clean sweep proves that PHS has great potential.
   "Most people thought we were going to win counties, but most of the coaches didn’t expect us to sweep the brackets," said Shatashvili, as two flights’ top seeds went to other teams. "I was expecting a lot from my teammates. I knew they could win. I was happy with our team. That shows our team is good. We’re moving up."
   Shatashvili’s quick win proved that his play continues to rise as well. In becoming just the eighth player ever to win three individual MCT championships while helping the Little Tigers to a third straight team title, he secured his place among the tournament’s elite.
   "My scores were better than the last two years," he said. "The wins the last two years were more important for our team. But everyone won this year, so my match wasn’t so important. I had something to prove to myself."