DLN ALL-AREA: In just 3 years, Conestoga’s Krishnan went from tennis newbie to league champ

From picking up a racket for the first time to becoming Central League champion in three short years is a rather remarkable thing. Ananya Krishnan is living it.

The 15-year-old Conestoga sophomore, in her first season as the Pioneers’ No. 1, was the Central League singles champion, finished third at the District 1 tournament, qualified for a PIAA Class 3A berth and won a first-round state match in Hershey.

Krishnan’s meteoric rise has garnered her Daily Local News All-Area Player of Year honors.

Slotted third a year ago on Conestoga’s singles ladder as a freshman, Krishnan elevated to the top spot through graduation, held off squad ladder challenges, then proved her mettle with a solid postseason run.

Conestoga second-year girls’ head coach Britt Aimone can see the making of a special talent in her sophomore No. 1 that has as much, if not more, to do with intangibles than anything that can be taught.

“When you see Ananya’s work ethic, drive and grit, it would make sense as to why she made such a huge jump in such a short period of time,” Aimone said. “She holds herself to a very high standard and sets goals for herself that she’ll work hard to achieve.”

Krishnan: “My grit is the best part of my game. I always know that I want it more. It gets me through a lot of matches, especially when I’m down in a match. … I’ve worked really hard to get here and I want to it for my team as much as for myself.”

Remarkably, Krishnan did not pick up a racket until she was 12, just three years ago, after her family relocated from Michigan.

“I started playing tennis because my parents had decided they wanted me to play a ‘life’ sport, something I could play no matter how old I was, as opposed to something like dance or gymnastics” Krishnan said. “A sport that I could always continue in, in their eyes. Then after I started playing, I just fell in love with it. I love the competitive nature on the court.

“I love that it’s by yourself, a competition within yourself. You don’t have to rely on other people. It’s based on your own skills and abilities … It’s a good thing. You know exactly what you need to do better and what’s wrong, when it’s just you.”

Now she finds herself at the top of the Stoga food chain, a traditional power both locally and at states in scholastic tennis. She isn’t fazed by it.

“You’re always expected to win matches and it seems like a lot of pressure at first,” Krishnan said, “but I love it. You’re someone everyone can count on to bring up the team.”

If Krishnan has a secret weapon, it could be that she’s killing ‘em with kindness. It’s a rare trait to possess.

“When people see her play, they know that she’s someone they’re going to have to contend with for the next few years. She had a really great season,” Aimone said. “And she’s a beautiful player. Her graciousness and humbleness on the court is something that I admire about her, the way she carries herself. You have no idea whether she’s winning or losing.

“Regardless of how she’s doing, she is able to compose herself. She’s able to sit back, collect herself, relax and get herself back into a match. And actually, the kindness that she embodies does her well because I think sometimes her opponents are intimated by that. That usually don’t go hand-in-hand with really talented players.”

Krishnan profiles as a baseliner. She’s content to slug it out and wait on the unforced error rather than attack the net with any kind of frequency.

“I think I’m really consistent from there,” she said, “which is how I’m able to win matches by outlasting other players.”

In her mind, Krishnan really arrived when she took Radnor ace Kanon Ciarrochi to three sets as a decided underdog earlier this season. The fact she actually noted a match that she didn’t win highlights a bulldog mentality that has served her well to this point.

“I think it was my best match because going into it I was told that everyone was expecting me to lose in straights sets,” she said. “She’s been first singles her entire career and I ended up taking her to three sets. Even though I didn’t pull out with the win I was able to show everyone that I wasn’t someone who was going to crumble under pressure.”

Krishnan’s Hershey venture at states saw her beat McDowell’s Abby Murray 6-1, 6-0 in the first round before falling to Charlotte James of Fox Chapel, 6-2, 6-0, ending her season in the PIAA quarterfinals.

As for future heading into her junior year next fall?

“I want to maintain my No. 1 on the team, of course,” Krishnan said, “but then I want to continue on to play tennis in college.”