Chatham Girls Tennis Team Takes Eighth Straight County Tournament Victory

CHATHAM, NJ — The Chatham girls tennis team won the 2021 Morris County Tournament on Sunday and earned the No. 2 seed in the NJSIAA North Jersey, Section 2, Group 3 Tournament.

The Cougars are now 9-0. They have won the Morris County Tournament (MCT) championship eight straight times.

“First of all, my team and I are grateful to be able to play the Morris County Tournament after last year’s cancellation due to COVID,” said head coach James Cai. “Different from other county tournaments, MCT has five different flights and each player has her own draw, which makes the tournament more challenging and complicated. Each team accumulates points every time they win a match. In conclusion, it is a collective responsibility to win the title as a team. It's been always Chatham against other teams (Mendham, Randolph, Montville, Kinnelon, etc.) in the past nine years, and the reason why we have been so dominant is that the girls always work hard and believe in themselves on the court. This year, in particular, we have three players who have never played in the tournament, and they were nervous before the first day. Our senior captain and other junior players helped them settle down, and everyone played well in the tournament. It is a total team effort.”

Chatham sent finalists to four of the five flights and won both doubles championships.

Sophia Paparo and Sarah Fidora beat a team from Randolph, 6-2, 6-2, at first doubles. Siena Wong and Jin Zhang defeated another team from Randolph, 6-2, 6-3, at second doubles.

In the state tournament, the Cougars earned a first-round bye. They will take on the winner of No. 7 Somerville/No. 10 North Hunterdon on Oct. 5 in the quarterfinals. The sectional semifinals are set for Oct. 7, and the championship match is set for Oct. 12.

“As a team, we are in a competitive section and will potentially play Scotch Plains and Millburn in the semi and final, respectively,” Cai said. “Both teams are ranked in the top 20 in the state. We will give everything we have on the courts and try to upset them. The girls have to be tough and brave and not give up until the end.”

The state singles and doubles tournaments are set to begin Oct. 2. Chatham’s doubles teams, Paparo and Fidora, and Wong and Zhang, and first singles player Laura Egan will compete in the state individual tournament.

“Individually, although my doubles teams are not seeded, we believe they will go far as they are very experienced doubles players,” Cai said. “For my first singles player, we will have to analyze the draw once it comes out and play match by match.”

The team is scheduled to face Mendham on Wednesday, Randolph on Thursday, Pingry on Oct. 4, Montville on Oct. 5, Sparta on Oct. 7, Bridgewater-Raritan on Oct. 12, and Morris Knolls on Oct. 13.