Chatham Girls Tennis Team Remains Steady With 8-0 Record

CHATHAM, NJ ― The Chatham girls tennis team is currently undefeated as it continues the success of last season and looks to defend its county and state tournament titles.

“The team has been performing exceptionally well with an 8-0 record overall,” said James Cai, who is in his ninth year as Chatham’s head coach. “The main goal of the season is to defend our Morris County title and go as deep as possible in the state tournament.”

The Cougars will compete in the Morris County Tournament on Saturday and Sunday. While it is a flight tournament, the team championship is decided by the amount of points each team wins.

Last season, the team posted a 12-1 record and won the NJSIAA Girls Tennis - Northwest A (Groups 3, 4), championship. Prior to the shortened 2020 season, the Cougars won seven straight Morris County Tournament team championships. The tournament was not held last year.

In this season’s county tournament, sophomore Sophia Paparo and junior Sarah Fidora are seeded No. 1 in first doubles, and junior Siena Wong and freshman Jin Zhang are seeded No. 1 in second doubles. Freshman Laura Egan, junior Nora Wiekert, and senior Cameron Sims are seeded No. 2 in first singles, second singles, and third singles, respectively.

“All of my girls play all year round, and, therefore, they have some tournament experience,” Cai said.

The Cougars defeated Morristown, 5-0, on Sept. 2; Mendham, 4-1, on Sept. 3; Montville, 4-1, on Sept. 10; Sparta, 5-0, on Sept. 14; Randolph, 5-0, on Sept. 15; Morris Knolls, 5-0, on Sept. 17; Columbia, 5-0, on Sept. 18; and Morristown-Beard, 4-1, on Sept. 20.

“We have had a couple of close matches against our rivals such as Mendham, Randolph, and Montville,” Cai said. “Everyone stepped up their game during these matches and stayed focused and tough.”

Cai said there is no one player who is responsible for the team’s success.

“As of matter of fact, every single player has played an important role in the team and leading the team,” he said. “I expect everyone to contribute and lead our team because we don’t have anyone outstanding―meaning a nationally ranked player―but when the girls play well, everyone stands out.”

Cai said newcomers Egan and Zhang have already made an impact.

“Both of our freshmen players have been undefeated and contribute tremendously to the team,” he said.

The Cougars face a challenging schedule this season.

“Our schedule is quite compact, and we will have some tough matches when we start our state tournament,” Cai said.

The NJSIAA state team tournament is expected to begin on Sept. 30, and the state singles and doubles tournaments are set to begin Oct. 2. The seeding meeting for the team, singles, and doubles tournaments is set for Monday.

The team is scheduled to face Mendham on Sept. 29; Randolph on Sept. 30; Pingry on Oct. 4; Montville on Oct. 5; Sparta on Oct. 7; Bridgewater-Raritan on Oct. 12; and Morris Knolls on Oct. 13.