Girls tennis: Conant claims second consecutive Mid-Suburban League championship

As defending Mid-Suburban League girls tennis champion, Conant knew it would be the focus of opponents’ attention as sure as the sun rises in the east.

The host Cougars handled the pressure well Saturday, earning a spot in both the first-singles and first-doubles finals for Khrstyna Pivtorak, Advita Deepak and Nidhi Karekar. The trio helped coach Matt Marks' team earn a second straight MSL crown with 55 points to hold off second-place Barrington by 4.

Fremd (35 points), MSL East titlist Prospect (32) and Hersey (29) rounded out the top five.

“We knew that we have a target on our back and we knew we had to be prepared to get it done here. It probably motivated us the most,” Marks said.

In the first-singles bracket, Pivtorak rallied against her finals opponent, Barrington senior Shriya Ramesh, 2-6, 6-1, 6-0 to nab the title. For Pivtorak, it was a simple matter of readjusting her mindset after the first set.

“I had to shake it off and start over. You put all your stuff aside (and) you mentally set yourself for the match (plus) just work harder,” she said.

Meanwhile, the Cougars combo of Deepak and Karekar developed a strong response to their Fremd opponents, sophomores Stella Lee and Siya Mistry. Deepak and Karekar prevailed 6-3, 6-3.

Karekar credited their ability to navigate through some windy court conditions.

“The wind is a factor especially in tennis, but we were able to figure it out after a game in how to hit with the wind on both sides of the court,” Karekar said.

Deepak made a note of their friendship going back to when they were fourth graders prior to beginning to play tennis.

“I think our (playing) styles are similar where I might lack and she'll make up for it or she might lack and I'll make up for it and she's really good at pumping me up, too.”

Conant also captured the second-doubles crown as another pair of juniors, Noelle Koh and Thea Krachmorov, defeated the Barrington duo of junior Audrey Kim and sophomore Ela Quan 6-1, 6-1.

Fillies sophomore Enya Neagu took the second-singles bracket 7-5, 6-3 over Conant sophomore Elyssa Rojas-Kantchevva. Another sophomore, Fremd's Baruni Soni, bested Cougars sophomore Avery Kestner 6-2, 6-0.

Marks now looks forward to next weekend's sectional at Lake Park, where he feels his team's experience will aid them.

“We formally understand the state tournament a little bit more and we're looking to set the tone and prove that we're one of the top teams in the state,” Marks said.