The Edison High School girls tennis team improved to 9-10 on the season with a 5-0 victory over John F. Kennedy MemorialHigh School. Edison will finish the season this week against Piscataway, with the hope of finishing at the .500 mark.
Against Kennedy, No. 1 singles player Snigdha Paka got off to a bumpy start before finding her game to defeat Kennedy’s MacKenzie Trabitz, 3-6, 6-1 and 6-4.
“Snigdha played her match in the second and third sets,” Edison head coach Wes Smith said. “She was much more aggressive, and it was a nice signature win for her. She’s had a really nice freshman season, and she’s got a lot of potential.”
Senior Shivangi Modi won her match at No. 2 singles in straight sets. Modi defeated Navmeet Purba, 6-4, 7-6 (7-4).
“Shivangi has really stepped up her game through the course of the season,” Smith said. “She played consistent and smart tennis, and it was nice to see her come through.”
Classmate Fatima Sidziqui breezed to victory with a 6-1, 6-1 win over Kennedy’s Erin Hendricks.
“Fatima played Erin earlier in the GMC Tournament, where she beat her,” Smith said. “We knew she should take care of business going into this match, and she did just that. She played solid tennis from start to finish and did notmake a ton of errors.That’s usually the difference in tennis.”
Juniors Jessica Daniels and Felicia Lesman also won in straight sets at No.1 doubles. Daniels and Lesman defeated Nishi Jariwala and Divya Hrivastava, 6-2, 6-3.
“They’ve made a great team this year,” Smith said. “Jessica is extremely aggressive at the net and does a nice job poaching and covering the lines. Felicia is very consistent from the baseline, and they complement each other’s games well.”
At No. 2 doubles, Edison’s Paula Ghosh and Heather Gumiran needed just two sets to defeat Jharma Patel and Anh Nguien. After trailing 1-4 in the opening set, Ghosh and Gumiran rallied to take the set, 6-4. Nguien and Patel posed little problem in the second set as Ghosh and Gumiran won 6-3.
“They turned the match around in time to get that first set,” Smith said. “That was extremely important, because at the time, Snigdha lost her first set, and you never know how a match is going to turn out. Paula and Heather eliminated their unforced errors, and that was the difference.”
This week will not only mark the end of the season but the end of playing days for five of the team’s seniors. In addition to seniors Modi, Sidziqui, Ghosh and Gumiran, classmate Nirali Shah will conclude her playing days for the Eagles.
“Some of the seniors have been with us for several years,” Smith said. “Each one worked hard and made a commitment.”