By Bob Nuse, Sports Editor
Nihal Sidhu is quite comfortable where he is in the lineup for the West Windsor-Plainsboro High North boys tennis team., And so, apparently, are the rest of his teammates., Sidhu is back for his second season at third singles for the Knights. He has won six of his seven matches, helping the Knights to a 6-1 start, including an impressive 5-0 win over Princeton on Wednesday., “I have been feeling really good,” said Sidhu, who posted a 6-0, 6-0 win over Brandon Peng in the win over Princeton. “Last year I was playing third singles and I am playing third singles again this year. I have been feeling really good and really confident with this team. It feels comfortable being back at the same spot knowing we have Arjun (Krishnan) and Nolan (Shah) playing at the the first two spots.”, Krishnan has moved from No. 1 singles a year ago into the second singles spot with the arrival of Shah, a freshman who is off to an impressive start to the season., The Knights returned three of their top seven players from last year, but only Sidhu is playing at the same position. The rest of the players have settled in well to their n roles and helped the team to a nice start as it heads into next week’s Mercer County Tournament., “I have been loving how we have been playing,” said Sidhu, a junior who finished third at third singles at last year’s MCT. “Our doubles has been playing very well. And our singles players are just fighters. They are fighting out there every match. We’re looking forward to doing well in counties.”, After playing as an alternate as a freshman, Sidhu stepped into the third singles role as a sophomore and is now in his second season at the position. He’s been a strong and steady player for the Knights and hopes to see that success continue., “Being able to keep the position, I think it is a lot of confidence and the team play,” he said. “I have been able to figure out what to do in matches and what not to do. The experience from last year helps a lot.”, A year ago, North reached the finals of the North Jersey, Section 2 Group III tournament before falling to Millburn. This year the Knights would like to take their success one step further., “This year we’re looking forward to going deeper,” Sidhu said. “We have some new people at doubles and singles. So we’re looking to do better.”, As a returning starter, Sidhu is taking on more of a leadership role this season for the Knights. It is something he enjoys., “Four of our seven positions are new guys,” he said. “They all play USTA tournaments and they are all match play ready. So it is just getting to used to what they have to do for high school tennis. We’re looking forward to the counties and hopefully getting a top three finish.”, Princeton has a completely new look to its lineup. Only Kevin Yang, who has moved from third to first singles, is back in the lineup. The Little Tigers have six new players in the lineup joining Yang., “We’re getting battle tested,” said Princeton coach Sarah Hibbert, whose team fell to 5-1 with the loss to North. “We only have one returning from our full starting lineup last year. Some of these guys had some experience and played some part time. Kevin is moving up to first and everyone else is kind of filling in the gap., “They are all working hard. Simon (Hwang) played a great match today (at second singles). Unfortunately he cramped up at the end and couldn’t finish it the way he wanted to.”, Yang has moved up from third to first and the rest of the lineup is settling into their new spots., “They are all working hard and gaining experience,” Hibbert said.
