By Bob Nuse, Sports Editor
Rhea Shrivastava is no stranger to the tennis court.
The Montgomery High School junior started playing the sport when she was very young and has been competing in high-level tournaments since she was 7 years old.
But this year, she is adding a new aspect to her tennis career.
For the first time, she is playing high school tennis.
“I play a lot of tournaments outside of school,” said Shrivastava, who opened her career with a 6-0, 6-0 victory at first singles win to help Montgomery score a 4-1 victory over Hunterdon Central on Tuesday. “In those tournaments, I am always by myself on the court. So it was nice having the team environment with us cheering each other on.”
Through her first two years of high school, Shrivastava played outside of high school but not with her classmates. This year she decided to try to make it work with her schedule and play for her high school.
“I have been playing USTA tournaments since I was 7 or 8, so I do those a lot,” Shrivastava said. “I think the reason why I didn’t play the last few years was that I was worried I wouldn’t be able to practice outside of school. But Coach (Raheel) Saleem an I have worked together on a schedule where I get to be part of the team and also have a chance to practice outside as well.”
Shrivastava’s presence in the Montgomery lineup makes the Cougars a definite contender for a Central Jersey, Group IV championship.
Junior Alex Mednikova, who played first singles for Montgomery, is now at the No. 2 singles spot.
Senior Katie Parsons has played herself into the No. 3 singles spot, which leaves sisters Any and Ally Yan together for another season at first doubles. The Yan sisters advanced to the NJSIAA doubles championship match last season.
The second doubles team is Sasha Demo and Julia Freitor.
“The skill that Rhea has, it just brings a buzz in the air seeing someone who plays like her and works out like her,” said Saleem, whose team was rained out of its match against Watchung Hills on Wednesday. “It makes practices easier because whe you see her working so hard and hitting so cleanly and loving the game as much as she does, it is contagious. I know Alex is super thrilled to have her because Rhea is going to help her get into a much better spot than she was last season.
“They are such good friends. I always see Alex and Rhea together so it is great to see they are enjoying it right now.”
Like Shrivastava, Mednikova posted a 6-0, 6-0 triumph in the opener against Hunterdon Central. The Cougars also swept the doubles, with the Yan sisters winning 6-0, 6-0 at No. 1 and Demo and Freitor posting a 6-3, 6-2 victory at No. 2 doubles.
Shrivastava is already comfortable with the Cougars. It helps that she and Mednikova have known each other for so long.
“We have been playing together for a long time,” Shrivastava said. “We used to play USTA tournaments together and we played doubles together. When we were younger we used to be partners. It’s great that we get to practice together because we are at similar levels. Before I joined I talked to her about how she was able to manage it with the time. She definitely persuaded me to play. She knows the players who I am going to play.”
It will take a little time to get used to playing high school tennis. But overall the transition seems to be going smoothly.
“I am still not completely sure how it works yet,” said Shrivastava, whose older sister, Sonal, plays at Yale University. “I have heard a lot about state championships and how it would be good for our school to win it for the first time in a while.
“It’s nice being part of the team and getting to know the other girls. I knew them, but now we are getting a lot closer. Having people cheer me on in the match was nice. That’s something I don’t always have at the tournaments.”
Montgomery’s opening victory was impressive. And with a strong singles lineup coupled with a doubles lineup as strong as any around, the Cougars will be tough to beat. The Yan sisters are expected to contend for the state title again this season as seniors.
“I think they were thrilled to be together again, but I think they were also originally thinking they were going to be playing singles,” Saleem said. “So there was a little bit of them being disappointed because they were hoping to play singles. But having Rhea come out and seeing Katie playing as well as she has been, I am sure they will enjoy playing doubles together again for their senior year.”
