Little Red top talent
By BEN JACOBS
The Ithaca Journal
28 Oct. 2004
Journal Staff
IRINA PERESS/Journal Staff
Ithaca High seventh-grader Lucy Mehrabyan, shown here in a match
earlier this year, won the Section IV singles state qualifier last
weekend. Saturday, she begins the state tournament in Manlius.
ITHACA — Ithaca High girls’ tennis coach Amy Rogers knew she had
something special when seventh-grader Lucy Mehrabyan joined the team
this year. Everybody else in Section IV found out just how special
very quickly.
“From the first few matches, everybody in our class was talking about
her,” Rogers said. “Her reputation preceded her and she was the one
person that really stood out.”
Now, Mehrabyan has a chance to showcase her talents for the rest of
the state. The 12-year-old from Armenia earned the top seed from
Section IV in the state tennis tournament by defeating Binghamton
junior Carly Smith 7-6 (1), 4-6, 6-1 in the final of the Section IV
Qualifier at the Binghamton Tennis Center on Saturday.
“I didn’t think I would get this far,” Mehrabyan said Tuesday during a
practice for the state tournament with Rogers at Reis Tennis Center. “I
just wanted to play my best, not to win so many things.”
On her way to qualifying for states, Mehrabyan avenged her only two
losses of the season. She lost to Binghamton’s Maria Kent during the
regular season, but defeated Kent in the second round of the qualifier.
Mehrabyan lost to Smith in the sectional semifinals nine days before
beating her in the qualifier.
The state tournament begins at 9 a.m. Saturday with the first two
rounds at the Eastside Racquet Club in Manlius. The third and fourth
rounds are on Sunday, with the semifinals and finals on Monday.
“I think there are very good players in states. I think if I fight
to every point like I have done, I think I can win a couple rounds,”
Mehrabyan said. “I hope to get by a couple rounds, that’s all. I hope
I will win, but I don’t think I will.”
Don’t let Mehrabyan’s modesty trick you into thinking she’s not
capable of rising to meet this challenge.
“I think she’s really ready to have a higher level of competition,”
Rogers said. “She’s been the leader in the region throughout the
entire season, and now she’s ready for a greater challenge.”
All season, Mehrabyan demonstrated that she not only has special
talent for her age, but also that she’s mature beyond her years.
“It’s just an incredible experience for the whole team to have the
leader be so young and to be so far ahead of the rest of the team,”
Rogers said. “She’s 12 years old and she’s the youngest (member of
the Little Red), but she’s not only this amazing athlete and this
amazing tennis player, but she’s also incredibly mature as well.
“She’s really a true leader in every respect.”
Mehrabyan demonstrated that leadership in dealing with her biggest
obstacle this season. She hurt her wrist in the first match of the
year, and it eventually became a sprain that has forced her to change
her game.
“It took away my power and I worry that when I hit a normal shot,
I’ll hurt it again,” Mehrabyan said. “I hit a little differently now
and it affects my game a lot, I think.”
In order to make it through the season without damaging her wrist,
Mehrabyan had to sit out two matches. She picked matches that she
felt the team could win without her presence.
Mehrabyan wasn’t able to practice before the sectional tournament
because of her wrist, but Rogers said she began to look more like
herself at the state qualifier, where she again had to deal with
some adversity.
“She played in a very difficult environment. We were in Binghamton
and the fans were all against her and her opponent was visibly angry
and yet Lucy was just completely composed,” Rogers said. “It’s hard
to believe she’s really 12 when you watch her play.”
Mehrabyan began playing tennis at age 5 on red clay courts in Armenia
because her father, Surik, wanted to make sure his young daughter got
some exercise. She didn’t even like the game at first, but that changed
two-and-a-half years ago when her family moved to Newport News, Va.
“There, I played year-round almost every day,” Mehrabyan said. “I
played around people who played just like me, but they were much
older and I got better from that.”
Her family moved again last August when Surik got a job at Cornell
University, and Lucy had to adjust to moving away from a tennis hotbed.
“I got a little angry because there was only my family to practice
with (at first), but this year there were many opportunities,” she
said. “I like it better here (now). I guess as time passed, I got
used to where I live and I started liking this place better.”
With her great success in seventh grade, you might be wondering how
good Mehrabyan will be when she’s a senior on the Ithaca tennis team.
She hopes you never find out.
“I hope to become a professional tennis player at age 16. I hope it
will turn out that way,” Mehrabyan said. “I wanted to turn pro when I
came to America two-and-a-half years ago. I got inspired by my coach in
Newport News, Virginia and I wanted to become a pro from that day on.”
Rogers would not be at all surprised if it happens.
“It’s amazing that she’s 12 years old and she’s playing at this level.
I think when we all watch her, we forget her age just because she
not only plays at such a high level, but she also is so composed,”
Rogers said.
“She just has this incredible temperament for the game. She already
has the mental toughness, and that piece is harder to teach than any
other part of tennis.”