By Akshita Joshi, Staff Reporter

The court is filled with an air of anticipation, the only noise coming from rackets hitting the ball, as the sound echoes. For many students, this atmosphere might be intimidating, but for sophomore Ananya Krishnan, it’s nothing but exhilarating. 

From long commutes to intense, three-hour tennis practices and homework from difficult classes, Krishnan still manages to maintain her title as the number one singles player at Conestoga. She recently qualified for the state tournament, and plans to compete in November.

Krishnan qualified for state singles this year after competing in the district finals tournament. She will be the first ’Stoga girls tennis player in a decade to compete in state singles. Krishnan will compete in Hershey this November, and is looking forward to the competition. 

Krishnan’s coach, Britt Aimone, has also shared her excitement about Krishnan’s attitude towards the sport. 

“Ananya is fierce, but full of grace. She has an innate ability to fight for every point, whether it be three hours into the third set, or while battling an injury. She stays consistent throughout her play,” Aimone said.

In addition to her title at ’Stoga, Krishnan is currently ranked 16th in the state by the Tennis Recruiting Network, and is continually working toward a higher ranking. She plays for the varsity girls’ tennis team as well as The High Performance Tennis Academy outside of school. 

At the High Performance Tennis Academy, Krishnan’s practice routine consists of two parts: private lessons where she practices strokes and technique and group lessons where she applies that technique and plays scrimmages against teammates. Her weekends are reserved for tournaments and matches against other teams. Her routine tends to be very hectic, since her intense tennis regimen can make balancing her busy schedule difficult. 

“My advanced classes often have a lot of homework, and I struggle with having to go to tennis practice and coming back home to study for hours,” Krishnan said.

Krishnan notes that one of the most difficult aspects of tennis for her is finding the self-discipline to continuously improve.

“Sometimes you feel like you aren’t good enough,” Krishnan said. “If you keep practicing, you will get better every single time, you just have to set your goals and try and work towards them.” 

Krishnan admitted that she has lost many matches and tournaments, but said that she used what she learned to improve her technique for the next match. She mentions that there have been times when playing where she was losing by a whole set, but by the end, she was able to bounce back and recover due to her mindset, often times winning the match or tournament altogether.

Krishnan stays motivated because of her family. Her little brother and many of her younger relatives have been inspired to play tennis because of her and they look up to her as a role model.

“A lot of my family members pursue tennis because of me, and I appreciate that and I feel like I need to set a good example,” Krishnan says. 

Although Krishnan has overcome plenty of obstacles in the past, she admits that she has often considered quitting throughout her journey, but she always remembers her love for the sport. Krishnan advises aspiring tennis players to “know that they are good enough, and with practice, they can become better.”

Krishnan’s goal for the rest of the school season is to hold onto her number one position in girls tennis. She is planning to compete in the winter nationals and national clay courts before college. In the future, she hopes to gain a higher ranking in Pennsylvania, and eventually a higher ranking in the nation.