Nikita Shukla Comes Through in Clutch for East Girls' Tennis

It was Nikita Shukla’s time to step up.

Shukla was the only player left on the court for Cherry Hill East, which was deadlocked, 2-2, with Egg Harbor Township in the semifinals of the South Jersey, Group 4 girls’ tennis tournament.

The match’s outcome—and the team’s fate—hung on the outcome of her match against Sophie Fernandez, which had been back-and-forth through the first two sets.

Facing elimination, the senior stepped up and delivered in the decisive third set, winning it, 6-4, for the 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, match-clinching win at third singles to give the Cougars a shot at back-to-back sectional titles.

Egg Harbor came out strong at the top of the lineup, something Cougars coach Mary Jewett said was likely after the team’s quarterfinal win—she said she expected to face a difficult No. 1 singles match, and knew the match to be close throughout.

At No. 1 singles, the Eagles’ Katie Garthaus took apart East’s Allyson Wolf, 6-1, 6-1, and while East’s Amanda Elfman tried to fight back at second singles, Egg Harbor’s Vida Torres won there, 6-1, 7-5.

The good news for the Cougars was doubles continued to be a strong point—Tyler Haaz, who suffered an injury scare Wednesday, and Paige Leone were strong in first doubles, winning their match, 6-2, 6-3, and Lauren Romisher and Adel Boyarsky won easily at second doubles, 6-3, 6-0.

With the victory, the Cougars are back in the sectional championship with a shot at defending the title they won over Millville last fall. They’ll face No. 2 Cherokee, a 3-2 winner over Toms River East, in a Monday final.