Shore Regional Tennis Star Set to Defend His State Championship

Sometimes going from the underdog to the one with the target on his back can be an unsettling experience, but Shore Regional High School senior tennis star Michael Lippens sees it as an advantage.

The undefeated first singles player for the Blue Devils is the defending NJSIAA Singles Tournament champion and will look to defend his title as the top seed starting this weekend. He had a bye into the second round, where he beat Glen Rock's Dean Sponholz 6-0, 6-0 on Saturday to advance to Sunday's third-round action. Lippens hopes to be the last man standing after the championship match on June 9 at Mercer County Park.

In Lippens’ mind, the fact that he has been through the crucible of pressure in the state tournament outweighs the fact that everyone will be gunning for him this year.

“I think since I won it last year, I have the advantage of having the experience of being in the finals twice in high school,’’ said Lippens, who also made the final as a sophomore before losing to Ocean’s Mike Lampa. “I know that the other players haven’t been in that situation, so it’s going to be different for them. I think the experience will help a lot, and I will have my coach, Dago Pinol, supporting me the whole way.’’

Lippens is trying to cement himself in New Jersey scholastic tennis history with one of the most dominant stretches in recent memory before he heads off to the University of Louisville to continue his career. He is currently 95-3 in his career, including 48-0 in the last two seasons. All three of his losses were to Lampa, who graduated in 2009.

Not only that, but Lippens has not dropped a set in two years. He has won every match in the last two seasons by straight sets, including an impressive 6-2, 6-3 win over Lenape’s Nikola Kocovic in last year’s NJSIAA Singles Tournament championship.

“I treat every opponent that I play with the same intensity and focus,’’ he said. “Anything can happen in the game of tennis.’’

The scary part is that Lippens is better than he was last season, when he finished 25-0. He has worked on his serve and backhand as well as the mental game. He has only dropped an absurd 10 games all season.

“I definitely believe that my confidence this year is a lot higher than it was last year,’’ he said. “The way I make decisions on the court has also improved.’’

Outside of his high school matches, he also has been steadily facing a higher level of competition than last season, when he played mainly junior tournaments. This year he has mainly been playing in United States Tennis Association Futures events against older players. He said that has prepared him for the rigors of the upcoming NJSIAA Tournament.

Lippens also regularly practiced with Alexander Bogomolov, a 28-year-old professional player from Miami who has been ranked as high as No. 92 in the world. He recently played in the French Open and is preparing for Wimbledon so Lippens has not been able to practice with him right before the NJSIAA Tournament, but the experience of playing with a pro certainly can’t hurt.

“He has shown me that it definitely is a huge mental game,’’ Lippens said. “The decision-making on the court, and the shot selections are definitely a huge part of winning.’’

While Lippens has practiced with a pro, he said that the professional ranks can wait until he is done at Louisville. He always considered going to college rather than trying to become a professional right out of high school.

“I pretty much had my mind set on college first because the competition is really good,’’ Lippens said. “I will have really good training at the college I'm going to, and that could help me try to go pro eventually.’’

Many players at Lippens’ level decide not to even play high school tennis and instead just play in USTA tournaments, but Lippens said Shore Regional has allowed him to leave school at times to play in those tournaments anyway. In return, he has put a school not known for its tennis prowess on the map with his dominance.

“I always considered playing high school tennis,’’ he said. “I wanted to be part of a team because I believed that would be a good thing for me.’’

Now he is hoping to put his name among the all-time greats in New Jersey scholastic tennis history with one more state championship. Even he had to admit that just the sound of it is enticing.

“That would be a really cool thing to be able to say,’’ he said. “For me that would be an incredible accomplishment.’’