Downingtown East’s Brianna Litvan is Daily Local News 2024 Girls Tennis Player of the Year

Downingtown East’s Brianna Litvan, the 2024 Daily Local News Girls Tennis Player of the Year, won the Ches-Mont National Division singles title this fall, finished second at District 1 3A singles tourney and placed fourth at PIAA 3A singles championships – and she’s only a freshman.

“What sums up Brianna, to me, is ‘heart’ — in many ways,” said Downingtown East girls tennis head coach Lisa Sheldon. “She plays tennis with a sheer joy for the sport, she had a great time getting to know her teammates, and with each match she courageously fought for every point.”

One of the toughest – and best – matches of the season for Litvan was the PIAA 3A state singles quarterfinals at the Hershey Racquet Club, in which she faced Manheim Township junior Haley Miller. After losing the first set 5-7, Litvan battled back to win the next two, 6-1 and 7-5.

“It was late in the evening, and it was definitely very tough to come back after losing the first set with such a close score,” said Litvan. “The key to my performance that day was to keep a steady rhythm with a good pace and good placement.

“In the final set, I was down and my opponent had many match points so another key to my performance was going back to my towel, taking my time, and focusing on the next point instead of the last.”

Sheldon praised Litvan’s gritty comeback.

“To come back after losing the first set 5-7 was truly fierce, warrior-like playing,” said Sheldon. “I love Brianna’s grit and tennis style. … Brianna’s postseason felt full of emotion, with some come-from-behind wins.”

Another come-from-behind postseason win was in the district singles semifinals against Wissahickon senior YiYi Huang. Litvan, who won her first 15 matches of the season in straight sets — including the entire Ches-Mont National singles tourney and the first two rounds of district singles – lost the opening set to Huang, 4-6, then battled back for victories in the next two sets, 6-3 and 6-4.

With Litvan filling the first singles spot, the Cougars posted a 14-2 record, went undefeated in the Ches-Mont League, and advanced to the District 1 3A team tournament quarterfinals.

“Over the arc of the season it became clear that Brianna cared — not only to continuously improve as a player and person, but also how she represented the Downingtown East girls’ tennis program,” said Sheldon.

Litvan finished the season with a 21-3 record at singles, and she managed to have some fun with her teammates along the way, too. At the PIAA 3A girls tennis state tournament, fellow Cougars Mahi Patel and Joya Mentrikoski wound up finishing fourth in the 3A doubles tourney, so Litvan had some company at Hershey.

“I had made many fun memories from this year’s state tournament especially with my friends and teammates also competing there at the doubles tournament,” said Litvan. “One of my favorite memories was in between matches. We were playing cards with each other while waiting for the next court to open up. It was a fun way for time to go by while also focusing on our next match.”

With a host of new tennis opponents to face in her freshman season at Downingtown East, Litvan worked on adapting her game to each player’s individual style.

“Each day I would have to play against a different girl and I focused on how my style of play would help me beat each one of the girls’ styles,” said Litvan.

“Another thing that I had to work on this season was keeping my composure on the court. I had learned how to keep my cool and focus on the next point instead of pouring all my concentration into my mistakes from the last point.”

It helped that Litvan had an older sister, Danielle, who was a fine tennis player for Downingtown East as a senior last fall. Danielle is now playing club tennis for Northeastern University.

“One of the many things that I have learned from Danielle was how to put effort into many of the things that I do,” said Brianna. “She was one of the main reasons I have started playing tennis because she had started playing before me. As any younger sister would do, I decided to follow her path and start my own tennis journey.

“She had always been a role model for me and put lots of effort into not only tennis, but also her education. This has encouraged me to put more effort into everything that I have to do and made me a better version of myself.”

Litvan is currently ranked No. 6 in Pennsylvania and 61st in Mid-Atlantic on tennisrecruiting.net.

Litvan said, “One of my most memorable tennis experiences was playing a national tournament in Mobile, Alabama. I had a couple very tough matches due to the level of the girls’ tennis and the heat. Even due to the extreme heat in the summer, this was one of my favorite tennis venues and tournaments. This tournament had really challenged me in more ways than one. It has challenged me through the aspect of my tennis game and level, through my mental toughness and concentration, and through my physical stamina and toughness.”

Litvan, who began playing tennis at the age of 5, said her favorite player is Aryna Sabalenka.

Asked if she patterns her game after Sabalenka, Litvan responded, “The main way I pattern my game after her is playing very aggressively with higher paces and a more aggressive approach to the points.”

Litvan has had several influential tennis mentors outside of Downingtown East, including Jason Zafiros of the Rick Macci Tennis Academy; Stanislav Bublik, whose son Alexander is currently ranked No. 34 in the world; and Eugene Mizulin at Northampton Tennis Club.

“Jason Zafiros was the first coach that showed me what competitive tennis really was — he taught me how to have better concentration and put in more work and effort,” said Litvan. “Stanislav Bublik used to be his son’s coach until a few years back and gave me a chance to work with an ATP coach — the most important thing I learned from him was that when playing matches, you need to stay patient and wait until you get the right ball to strike. My current coach, Eugene Mizulin, has helped me the most with my technique and tactics for my game.”

Off the tennis court at Downingtown East, Litvan’s favorite academic subject is math, and she currently enjoys her Introduction to Business course as well.

Litvan also participates in BBYO, a pluralistic teen movement aspiring to involve more Jewish teens in more meaningful Jewish experiences.

Sheldon said, “I’m incredibly proud of Brianna’s accomplishments on court as well as the sportsmanship and maturity she displayed. I hope she continues to play with that passion and love being a vital part of our team. We appreciate her energy, experience, and sense of humor.”