MONTCLAIR, N.J. – Montclair opened their 2025 tennis season with a strong 4-1 win over West Orange, but the match was far from one-sided as both teams put up a fight in key matchups.

The 1st singles showdown was a thriller, with Montclair’s Jack Levine rallying after dropping the first set to West Orange’s Brandon Chen. Levine stormed back to win 4-6, 6-0, 10-4 in a high-intensity tiebreaker, securing a key point for the Mounties.

Montclair’s Alfred Lonntorp made a statement in 2nd singles, overpowering Abdelrahman Hamouda 6-1, 6-3. Meanwhile, West Orange succeeded in 3rd singles, where Zach Jaffee delivered a strong performance, defeating Oliver Miedel 6-4, 6-2 to put West Orange on the board.

In doubles play, Montclair’s pairs proved too much to handle. Jasper Lilienfeld and Henry Kolbe fought through a close second set to win 6-0, 7-5 in 1st doubles, while Theodore Sedarat and Jake Gofton sealed the match in 2nd doubles with a solid 6-3, 6-4 win over West Orange’s Joshua Montague and Liam Dodson.

Despite the loss, West Orange showed promise, especially in singles play, where Jaffee and Chen both pushed their matches deep. Montclair, however, capitalized in key moments and will look to build on this strong start as the season progresses.