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10-year-old takes local tennis scene by storm BY RICH FISHER One of the great things about being a kid is you’re allowed to have big-time dreams. And Isabella Miller is dreaming as big as it gets. “My dream goal is to make it to the U.S. Open,” the Pennington resident said, “And be the next Serena Williams.” That’s quite a mark to shoot for, but Miller is off to an awesome start so far. The 10-year-old Stony Brook Elementary School student just began playing USTA tournaments on July 1. Since then, she has gone 40-6 and won seven of the 13 tournaments she entered. Miller has reached the finals nine times, and gotten to the semifinals the other four times. As far as rankings, she is among the top ranked New Jersey 10-andunder and No. 2 in Middle States 10-and-under, which includes Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and parts of West Virginia and Maryland. Due to her success at the 10U level, her dad/ coach Seth began playing her up at 12-and-under, where she now ranks No. 9 in District New Jersey and No. 38 in Middle States. Simply speaking, it’s been an incredible run in a very short time.
A portrait in oil by Hopewell artist Morris Docktor, who works in a variety of media.
Painter, sculptor, artist, Docktor BY THOMAS KELLY Morris Docktor is a classically trained portrait artist whose realistic likenesses can be seen in galleries and in public spaces around the region. Schooled at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia, the Hopewell artist began with work that was very traditional.
Even as a young boy impressed by his uncle’s paintings, Docktor knew an artist career was for him, and he began training himself from those very artworks he admired. “My uncle studied at the Philadelphia Museum College of Art,” he says. “The name has been changed twice since then to The Philadelphia College of Art, and
now called The University of the Arts. He did aerial photography in the Pacific for the U.S. Army during World War II. After the war he primarily earned his living as an illustrator for books and record album covers. Later in life he had a studio gallery on Bleecker Street in Greenwich Village, New See DOCKTOR, Page 6
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“I am very surprised,” Miller said. “I didn’t think I’d get this far in tennis. I feel very proud of myself and excited.” Her success has been a mixture of dedication and enjoyment. “She works very hard on the court but she has fun, which is really important,” said Seth Miller, who is director of tennis at Nassau Racquet Club. “I didn’t realize that she wanted to play tournaments until this spring, when she kept asking me to put her in a tournament. I didn’t know how she would do. I didn’t know how good the kids were that were playing tournaments, because usually those are the real serious ones and they’re all very good.” As it turns out, so is Isabella. After winning three tournaments at 10-and-under, she moved up and proceeded to win four of the first five tournaments she played in 12-and-unders. “She loves it and every week she says, ‘Put me in another tournament,” Seth said. “I think her results are incredible.” Miller comes from a tennisplaying family. Her grandparents were top-ranked players in Pittsburgh. Seth was the No. 1 player for his college team, West Liberty State in West Virginia, where he received a full scholarship. He has See MILLER, Page 12
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