There comes a point in every successful athlete’s life when they realize that their gift for the sport may be something that could take them to a professional level.

For Alison Riske, that time occurred when she won her very first tournament. She was eight years old at the time.

“Up until that point it was my dad that was putting the emphasis on tennis,” she said. “It gave me confidence and told me that I could have success. Ever since then I’ve been able to stay focused, and hopefully things will continue to go well.”

Success has continued to come Riske’s way. Now a high school junior, Riske has led her Peters Township girls’ tennis team to the Pennsylvania State championship, while winning the single’s championship herself, and she is now en-route to a possible professional tennis career, after participating in this year’s US Open in New York City, where after attempting to qualify for the Women’s Draw, she reached the second round of the Girl’s Junior Tournament.

“It’s pretty incredible to say that I competed in the US Open,” she said. “I had never been to New York and had never been to the US Open, and here I was being there for the first time as a player. It was really an eye-opening experience.” Judging from her talent, Riske could be playing in the US Open and other prestigious tournaments for many years to come.

“She definitely has the talent to make it on the pro tour,” said her high school coach, Brandt Bowman. “The thing about Allie is her work ethic. She realizes that you can’t succeed unless you work hard, and she is one of the hardest working players I’ve ever seen.”

The daughter of Al and Carol Riske of Peters Township, Alison says it was her mother and father who continued to encourage her from the time she picked up her first racket at age three. The family traveled by car together to the US Open in New York. Although her private coach is Janice Irwin of Upper St. Clair, Riske said her father has also been a mentor as well as a coach. “He’s been there picking me up and giving me advice,” she said. “As much as I sometimes don’t want to hear it, it’s there stored in my mind, and he’s always right.”

Riske balances her time between tennis lessons and tournaments and her cyber school classes. She practices about two hours daily and works on fitness for about another hour. “If it’s not on the court, it’s off-court,” she said. “Much of it is preparing mentally. I try to give it my all at practice and in preparation. I try not to (overdo) practice on the court because I don’t want to get burnt-out. Hitting a thousand balls over and over again isn’t necessary.”

Riske did have an opportunity to take a closer look at how the pros prepare during her visit to the US Open. It left a lasting impression to be part of the process.

“Just seeing them and what they do to prepare and how early they get there was pretty incredible,” she said. “Just to pass them and to know that you are taking the court right after them is kind of unnerving but it’s all totally unbelievable.”

Riske’s appearance in the US Open Qualifier followed her win of the singles title at the National Collegiate Clay Court Championships at Mt. Lebanon in July. She also won the singles title in the WPIAL and the PIAA last fall while she played on the Peters Township girls’ tennis team.

“It was really a precious experience beside the things I’m doing now,” Riske said of her championship season last year at Peters Township. “It was a great chance to be with the girls on the team and to get the feeling of a team atmosphere. I had never been involved with a team, and to have that under my belt has helped me immensely. They were just a great bunch of girls and to cap it off with a state championship made it all the more special.”

Riske knows she will have to miss this season because US Open play kept her away from the Peters Township team and made her ineligible. “I’ll miss not being there, but I know they’ll keep doing well. They have great players,” she said. “But I’ll definitely get there and cheer them on when I’m home.”