Millburn Boys Varsity Tennis Team Sweeps Tournament

The Millburn varsity tennis team bookended the second week of the 2011 season with satisfying shutouts, defeating West Essex High School 5-0 on Monday and sweeping the first annual Millburn Challenge tournament on Saturday.

The team entered the week with a 0-1 record, having dropped an out-of-conference season opener to Delbarton.

In the West Essex match, the Millers were stingy, giving up only five games out of 65 played. Rob Xie of Millburn quickly dispatched Chris Martin (6-0, 6-0) at second singles, followed by John Duan at third singles duplicating that score against Alex Schwartz.

Teddy Moskovitz and Dean Koman, at second doubles, notched the third point for Millburn, defeating Jim Fiore and Joe Toumonos (6-1, 6-0). Next, top court player Eric Cohen brushed off David Shields (6-0, 6-2). The final point was scored by Mac Johnson and Jared Wishnow against Matt Iannarone and Jared Ingoglia (6-2, 6-0).

After two midweek rainouts against Seton Hall Prep and Livingston, Saturday dawned bright and sunny for the first annual Millburn Challenge tournament, organized by Coach Bill Wickenheisser.

Visiting teams came from Jonathan Dayton High School in Springfield, Bernards High in Bernards Township and Chatham High School. In the morning round, Millburn played Dayton, while Bernards and Chatham paired off. In the afternoon, the championship round matched the morning’s winners against each other, with a consolation round for the losers.

In the opening round, the Millers ceded only four games en route to winning all five courts. The lineup pitted Xie at first singles against Dayton’s Matt Neubauer (6-1, 6-2), Tristan Lane at second singles versus Zac Corey (6-0, 6-0), and Duan on the third court against Max Grossman(6-0, 6-0). Nicky Chen Schmidt and Alex Shipp played first doubles against Dmitry Suvorov and Aaron LaPena (6-0, 6-0), with Ben Fischler and Keith Knopp at second doubles against Jake Kozlenko and Varun Thakkan (6-0, 6-1).

In the championship round, a reshuffled Millburn lineup faced off against Bernards High. Cohen, at first singles, facing a formidable opponent in Luke Roser, came out victorious (6-4, 6-3). Xie, at second singles, defeated Danny Haut (6-2, 6-1). Duan, playing third singles, scored the next point against Eric Oringer (6-1, 6-1).

Moskovitz and Koman came off the second doubles court with the fourth point for Millburn, besting John Goode and Andrew Wilford (6-0, 6-0). The final point was notched by first doubles Johnson and Wishnow against Jordan Isaacs and Dan Wu (6-2, 6-0). The consolation round went to Chatham.

The Millers are back in action on their home courts Monday against Columbia. On Tuesday the Essex County Tournament begins at Branch Brook Park in Newark. Millburn is seeded second.