MICHAEL ROMEO
DIRECTOR OF TENNIS
USPTA CERTIFIED (since 2003); PTR CERTIFIED (since 2013)

Mike’s goal is to deliver an amazing lesson every time he steps on the court.

He has been a part of the New Jersey tennis community for most of his life. After playing Division I tennis at Seton Hall University, Mike launched his professional teaching career at West Orange Tennis Club in NJ (1992 - 2008).  He later became the Head Tennis Professional at the Tennis Center of the Black Hills in Rapid City, SD. Upon returning to his NJ roots, Mike assumed the title of Assistant Racquets Professional at The Short Hills Club. More recently, he was Senior Tennis Professional at The Strand Tennis Center in Chatham, NJ for a number of years.

At Murray Hill, his passion for teaching is as strong as ever. He works hard at honing his craft, and keeping his teaching fresh. Mike is also an avid racquet technician with over 25 years of experience stringing and repairing tennis racquets.

Mike lives with his wife and two daughters in Lake Hiawatha, NJ.

chris young
Tennis professional

It takes Chris Young fifteen minutes on average to string a racquet – a whole five minutes slower than regulation U.S. Open stringers. Young’s talent on-court, however, makes up for his lack off-court.

Tennis has been a part of Chris Young’s life for 20+ years.

After claiming the 2001 NJ High School team State championship, Young went on to play NCAA Division I singles & doubles at Monmouth University.

Young decided to turn his passion into a career seven years ago. He worked closely with Michael Romeo for the four years leading up to Mike’s move to Murray Hill to become Director of Tennis.

His infectious energy, exponential patience, and ability to translate technical aspects of the game to his students make him an awesome choice for teaching juniors & adults alike.

Chris hails from Lake Hiathawa, NJ, and his stringing skills are actually pretty amazing.

Johnson chang
TENNIS PROFESSIONAL

Johnson Chang joins our roster with over 20 years of some serious coaching experience. He’s warmed up players for matches on the biggest stage in American tennis (i.e., The US Open). This is fitting because Johnson really knows how to fire players up. If a Cardio Tennis song gets turned way, way up, you can be sure Johnson is rocking out and feeding up a storm. Peep his court and you’ll see fully engaged players eager to learn more. Late in the afternoon we sometimes hear an engine rev and realize Johnson is getting ready to depart on his...motorcycle. This guy loves to make noise. In THE BEST way. Cheesy symbolism be damned: If you want to feel a kickstart in your heart for tennis...for a love of this game that is LOUD...spend some time on-court with JC.

BEATRIX KLEIN-SZALAY
TENNIS PROFESSIONAL

Around 87 million people play tennis. Beatrix Szalay was #106.

That’s it. That’s all you need to know. 

But if you want some specifics, read on sis. Beatrix is the matriarch of tennis. From 1970-1981 she cut her teeth on the tour. She can say she was the best in Hungary. B has battled on the Hungarian Fed Cup Team. She’s fist-pumped across the net from Mary Carillo and beaten Martina freaking Navratilova. Can you imagine shaking Martina’s hand after handing her an “L”? Just think about that. 

Only a supremely talented few get to step onto the fresh-cut grass at Wimbledon, wash the infamous red clay out of their lucky socks, and experience the roar of NYC’s US Open fans. She’s majorly experienced. Her wisdom and reassuring tone (IYKYK) makes me believe I can hang with the best.  

Beatrix has been a certified USPTA tennis professional for 20+ years. Time on court with her is invaluable.

MARIA MAHON
TENNIS PROFESSIONAL

Step on Maria Mahon’s court and you immediately sense the energy. To be honest, you can probably sense the energy from 3 courts away. Technical callouts (turn! run up! that’s it!), followed by the delightful squeals of orange ballers amped up to win whatever game they’re all heavily invested in, is the norm. 

Maria has been with Murray Hill for the past five years. After playing number one singles for four years in high school, Maria competed on a tennis scholarship at Seton Hall University (Go Pirates!). 

She’s PTR certified for 10 & Under and has worked as head tennis instructor for Berkeley Heights Recreation for the past nine years, teaching adults and children. She is a USTA member and loves playing on teams in the spring and winter.

So yeah, you could say she’s hugely passionate about the game. Through years of practice, playing and teaching, she’s developed a talent for instilling that same love for tennis in her students.

BARBRA KOGAN
TENNIS PROFESSIONAL

Barbra Kogan is a USPTA and PTR-certified tennis professional, and has taught tennis at Murray Hill for over eight years. She played both high school varsity tennis, and Division I tennis at Bucknell University.

In recent years, she has worked with with the Summit Tennis Association, The Strand Tennis Center, and with the Pro Smart Tennis Academy.

At Murray Hill, Barbra enjoys working with children and adults, and also runs tennis parties for the club. Barbra lives in New Providence with her husband and two teenage sons.

ADAM WAGER
TENNIS PROFESSIONAL

Adam Wager is a New Jersey State singles champion (1990). Adam also made it to the semifinals of Kalamazoo. The word Kalamazoo likely means nothing to you. But Kalamazoo, a city in southwest Michigan, is home to the most important tournament in boy’s junior tennis. For 78 years, some of the biggest names in tennis including Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, Jimmy Connors, Andy Roddick and Rod Laver have won matches there. Hundreds battle. The winner earns a wild card into the US Open. Wager may not have made it past the final four, but he did go on to play Big 10 tennis at Michigan. 

Suffice to say, Adam has played on some big stages. He’s proven his ability to perform in front of crowds. He also has unbelievable comedic timing. Which is why I sincerely hope one of the PTA parents reading this invites him to do a bit onstage for charity. 

In the meantime, let’s talk about his teaching career. Adam is a wicked talented coach with the track record to prove it. Five New Jersey state singles champions and over 200 USTA nationally ranked players all trained under Adam’s direction. 

But he’s just so funny. 

References below: 

Valentine’s Day.

Pro Meeting.

Guess that food summer camp game.

Please forward requests to tennis@murrayhilltennis.com. 

SERGEI SEMJONOV
TENNIS PROFESSIONAL

On a wintry day at the Beacon Hill paddle hut I sipped on some cider and scanned through the list of random (true) facts about our coaches. It’s part of an annual tradition at our holiday party where we try to guess who submitted what. "I love palm trees” was mysterious, hilarious and definitely not something I would’ve assigned to Sergei Semjonov.

I’m getting ahead of myself. Being that this is first and foremost a tennis bio, I’ll disclose that Sergei became the number one player in Estonia at age 16. He’s an incredible hitter. At the time of this writing he’s nursing his broken ankle back to health. So while we’re not sure about his balance, we can definitively say he’s an amazing competitor willing to do whatever it takes—including breaking bones—to win. As a coach he’s amazing at tailoring your on-court experience to your needs. His delivery is thoughtful and he'll never throw out too many corrections at once. He’s gotten so good at honing his craft that you’d expect there to be little time for off court activities. Not many moments to…say, ponder the flora.

Or fauna. I’ll also mention the fauna of Estonia. When asked what he misses most about Estonia, he says with a huge grin “I miss their big beautiful hams”. Sorry Mike.

David Drucker
TENNIS PROFESSIONAL
PTR Certified for 10 & under and adult development

If your technique needs a Fixer Upper, David Drucker can HGTV your game. His lessons are methodical, effective and peppered with wit. He can spot all of the little things you can’t, come up with a blueprint and get your game to the next level. Basically he's Joanna Gaines (and I need to stop watching home makeover shows.)

Let’s talk credentials…
• 10+ years of teaching experience
• #1 junior USTA ranking in Long Island.
• All-time Singles & Doubles wins record (2013).
• 1st Team Conference honors in singles & doubles (2012 and 2013).
• Captained his college team at back-to-back Conference championships in (2012 and 2013).
• Achieved All-County & All-State honors (2007), representing Nassau County at the State High School Championship.

anastasia polyakova
tennis professional

Anastasia “Nas” Polyakova had no idea what “dingles” was. “We never played tennis games growing up” she said in a way that made the temperature on the courts drop by a few degrees. From training at age 6 in St. Petersburg to playing #1 singles and doubles for St. Johns University, to dominating the dingles scene at Murray Hill, Anastasia has come a long way from the strict confines of the Russian tennis training program. 

Nas currently resides in Union with her husband, two MH mascots, Antonio (3) and Milania (8 months), and her German Shepard, Mishka. 

She finds not pumping her own gas to be very strange. Misses good caviar. Loves investigative crime scene television shows. Hates country music. And likes to make lasagna for her family. 

We did some image-word associations to get a sense of how she has assimilated to Jersey life. 

Garden State. The road, parkway. 
Snooki. What?
Diners. Yummm. 
Bruce Springsteen. Huh? 
Wawa. Ah like 7-11.
EZ Pass - Too expensive. 

We couldn’t be more pleased to have Anastasia at Murray Hill. But someone get this girl a copy of “Born to Run”...stat.  

KELLY GAGLIANO
RED AND ORANGE BALL TENNIS PROFESSIONAL
PTR CERTIFIED

Kelly Gagliano and red/orange ball tennis go together like winning shots and victory dances. We love to see it! 🏆🕺 Kelly has trained under some of the best red/orange ball coaches in the game. She’s also an avid tennis player with 40+ years of experience and has her masters degree in Elementary Education from Rutgers University. She really knows how to explain new concepts to some of our youngest future champs and has a bubbly personality to boot. Catch her on Tiny Tennis, Red Champs, Red Aces and Red Max classes.