Wayne Tennis Player Advances in Flushing Tourney

One of Wayne’s top tennis players is now starting to make a name for himself on the court throughout the region.

Competing this evening in the BJKNTC Junior Tennis Classic Championships in Flushing, Lee Weisberger used a strong serve to set up easy points throughout his first round match in the Boys 18-and-under division, easily dispatching Sacha Singh of Brooklyn with a 6-3, 6-1 victory.

“I got off to a slow start just from not having played a tournament in a while, but once the second set began it felt like I was starting to get on a roll,” said Weisberger, a rising senior at Wayne Hills High School.

Tennis is serious business for the No. 1 varsity singles player at Wayne Hills. He spends approximately 25 weekends a year traveling around the east coast for tournaments while competing against some of the best players in the region.

During the week, he practices several days a week at Maywood Racquet Club with coach Kai Hussman, working on several elements of his game to help bring his tennis to the next level.

“At this point, I’ve learned the basic techniques, so we just work a lot on match play and on-court strategy,” said Weisberger. “I just want to make sure I’m ready for every type of situation in a match.”

His intense work on the court is rivaled by a series of challenging classes at Wayne Hills High School, as evidenced by Weisberger considering several Ivy League and top 25 ranked schools throughout the east coast. The balance between juggling top level academics and athletics can be difficult for many, but Weisberger said he has learned to take it in stride.

“There are nights during the school year where I start practicing at 9:00pm, but I have to make sure all my homework gets done beforehand,” said Weisberger. “Those are the kind of sacrifices I’ve just grown accustomed to making.”

Weisberger has also been a valuable asset to the Boys Varsity tennis team at Wayne Hills High School, helping to lead them to the county championships this past season, as well as a semifinal showing at the state sectional championships.

In addition, Weisberger also reached the third round of the New Jersey state tennis championships.

“Some tournament players will avoid high school tennis, but it’s fun for me to hang out with my teammates,” said Weisberger. “Once you get to the state championships, it’s just a great experience to see how you stack up against the best high school players in the region.”

Another top level junior player from Jersey, Fredrick Zaretsky of Fair Lawn, also rolled through his first round match in the Boys 16-and-under division, overcoming a stern test in the opening set before advancing with a 7-6, 6-1 victory over Gabriel Lazar of Boca Raton, Florida.

The finals of the BJKNTC Junior Tennis Championships are scheduled for Monday afternoon. To follow Weisberger and Zaretsky’s progress throughout the event, visit the tournament drawsheet.

http://tennislink.usta.com/tournaments/draws/EventDraw.aspx?T=108560&E=2