Thuy Cao

Thuy comes to EJTS with an astounding 10 years of coaching experience, holding his Club Pro 1 Certification. He has been actively coaching for the Edmonton Junior Tennis Society for over 3 years now and has been a volunteer for the Board of St. Albert Tennis Club for over 10 years. Formerly he was the tennis instructor at the St. Albert Tennis Club, as well as for the Little Aces.

Thuy has been playing tennis for 15 years and has extensive experience specializing in adult private and group lessons beyond junior play. Impressively, Thuy has competed in the World Master Games in 2005 & 2009 in Sydney, Australia. Thuy was also crowned the Rackelton Tournament Champion in 2011 within the Master category, showcasing his tennis, squash, badminton, and ping pong expertise. This accomplished coach has also received his certifications for NCCP level 3 in Badminton, and CASI level 2 for Snowboarding. Thuy is passionate about developing new athletes into the best versions of themselves.

Stefan Karapetrovic

Stefan is a new addition to the EJTS team, joining with 15 years of vast tennis experience within the worldwide community. He received his Level 1 coaching certification in the city of Toronto back in August 2020, and has also volunteer-coached for Pepe Imaz Tennis. As a Head Pro for Tennis Edmonton, Stefan has lead numerous events, remarkably teaching the diverse tennis community, including coaching wheelchair tennis!

Stefan has had many unique tennis experiences, including visiting Roland Garros as a fan, and having played at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club and Melbourne Park, the locations of Wimbledon and the Australian Open respectively. He has also been coached by world-class coaches in Spain, including Pepe Imaz and Marko Djokovic, the former coach of Novak Djokovic and his brother.

Aside from tennis, Stefan is an engineering student at the University of Alberta.

Keith Bienert

Keith is an active member of the Tennis Professionals Association. He comes to EJTS with 14 years of coaching experience starting in 2007.

Keith has over 20 years of playing experience, having competed at Provincials and Club tournaments. He has achieved many singles and doubles championships, including being a multiple-time singles and doubles provincial champion for his age group.

Outside of Alberta, Keith has experience competing in BC, the USA, Brazil, and even Jupiter! One of his favorite quotes is “The next best thing to winning at tennis is losing because at least you are still playing tennis”. Keith is very dedicated to the sport, and he admits he loves teaching ALMOST as much as playing tennis.

Daryna Dmytriieva

Daryna comes to the Edmonton Junior Tennis Society team with 3 years of coaching experience. She is a certified instructor, as well as a member of the Tennis Professionals Association.

Daryna started her tennis career at the age of 5, and has 9 years of playing experience. Her passion for the sport arises from her first lessons on clay courts in Kiev, Ukraine. Her favorite shots on court consist of backhand down the line, and the difficult half-volley shot.

Daryna is very passionate about sharing her love for tennis and seeing the exponential improvement and progression of all our young stars.

Kyrylo Dmytriiev

Kyrylo has been involved with the Edmonton Junior Tennis Society as a coach for 3 years now. He is a member of the Tennis Professionals Association, and his favorite shot on the court is the forehand.

Kirill initially started his tennis journey playing in Kiev, Ukraine, and has been playing tennis since the age of 10. He also has had the opportunity to hit on grass courts in the country of Georgia (during USSR times).

Aside from being a fantastic coach, Kyrylo is also the father and mentor of coach Daryna. Together, these two make up a powerful father/daughter coaching dynamic on the court that we are so lucky to have.

Jackson Baerg

Jackson has been coaching with EJTS for 2 years and is currently a member of the Tennis Professional’s Association. He began playing at the age of 5, transitioning competitively at the early age of 8.

Jackson had the opportunity to play for the Alberta Provincial Team from 2013-2016, competing throughout Alberta, BC, Saskatchewan, and Ontario. He also has experience competing in both provincial and national level tournaments over the last 9 years, notably competing in doubles at the U12 Rogers Junior Nationals. Jackson has acquired 5 tournament wins and 8 second-place finishes throughout his junior career.

One of Jackson’s favorite tennis experiences includes serving on the ball crew for Canada’s Davis Cup tie against India in 2017. He continues to train and compete as a high-level player, planning to join a university tennis team after his final year of high school.

Nolan Sax

Nolan has been a staple part of the EJTS team for almost 2 years as a coach. He has been playing tennis for 10 years, notably competing at the provincial level for nearly 7 of those years.

Throughout Nolan’s junior career he has played over 300+ matches and has won a handful of tournaments. Admirably, he has competed in the Western Canada Summer Games representing Team Alberta. Outside of Alberta, Nolan has played in BC, Ontario, and the USA.

Nolan does a remarkable job of encouraging our little stars on the court. It is a pleasure to always see this coach inspiring not only our athletes, but the EJTS team as well.

Kai Baerg

Kai joins EJTS with an impressive background as a high-level junior athlete, and has been competing for the past 10 years.

During that time, he played for the Alberta provincial team for 4 years, traveling to BC and Saskatchewan to compete. Kai has also played tournaments in Quebec and Ontario, even one on a grass court on Vancouver Island. Notably, Kai dominates on the clay, his favorite court surface.

Kai has competed at the Rogers Junior Nationals, impressively winning the U-12 doubles at Outdoor Nationals in 2018. Kai is on the road to qualify for Nationals for both U16 and U18 events and hopes to play for the University of Alberta Golden Bears in the future.

Amy Shaw

Amy has been assisting with the Edmonton Junior Tennis Society for 2 years, being a fantastic addition to our team.

She started her tennis career at the early age of 4 ½ at her local courts in St. Albert. Amy has now been playing for nearly 10 years total, and has been competing provincially as a high-level junior player for the past 4 years.

Outside of Alberta, Amy has competed in BC, Ottawa, California, and Switzerland. She has even had the incredible experience of receiving a private lesson from Jonathan Wawrinka.

James Holt

James is one of our fresh new additions to the Edmonton Junior Tennis Society team. He has 1 year of both coaching and volunteer tennis experience.

James started the sport at the early age of 4 and has now been playing for 11 years. For the past 8 years, he has been competing both provincially, and nationally.

As a current high-level junior player, James has qualified for the Rogers Junior Nationals 5 times, traveled to compete with Team Alberta, has competed at the Roman Cup, and has won doubles at the 88th Leith Wheeler Stanley Park National Junior Open Series. In his playing career, he has traveled to Vienna, Salzburg, Mont Tremblant, Laval, Ottawa, Victoria, and Vancouver.

Harleigh Mailo

Harleigh is a new team member of the Edmonton Junior Tennis Society. She has been playing tennis for the past 5 years and has experience playing in both the challenger program at the Saville Centre, and the Orange County Tennis Program.

She began coaching at the Capilano Tennis Club, and we are fortunate to have Harleigh’s assistance beyond Edmonton, helping coach and bring tennis into the Beaumont community. Harleigh has had the opportunity to play outside of Edmonton, notably in Galveston, Texas, Aliso Viejo, Florida, Waterton, and Seba Beach.

Aside from tennis, Harleigh has completed Bronze Cross, a certification awarded by the Royal Life Saving Society of Canada, and enjoys practicing martial arts, hiking, swimming, and skiing.

Wolfgang Trick

Wolfgang is a fresh addition to the EJTS team, with 9 years of playing experience and coaching over 2 years. He is currently a member of the Tennis Professionals Association, and holds his Instructor level coaching certification.

Wolfgang is a high-level junior player, who started playing tennis at the age of 7 with EJTS, and transitioned to playing competitively at the age of 11. Throughout his playing history, Wolfgang has traveled all over western Canada to compete.

Wolfgang has coached at Capilano and has volunteer coached at the Saville Community Sports Centre in the past. You can often catch him hitting his favorite shot, the backhand down the line.

Preston Codrington

Preston is a bright new addition to our EJTS team. He has been playing tennis for eights years and is currently training as a high-level junior athlete at the Saville Community Sports Centre. He has been competing at both the Provincial and National levels for the past 5 years. Preston was awarded the National Sportsmanship Award at the U14 Rogers Junior Nationals.

Previously Preston has coached at the Capilano Tennis Club. His favourite professional tennis player is Rafael Nadal. He admires the way that Rafa is able to compose himself on the court and aspires to be like him. Preston’s passion for tennis proves why he is an excellent asset to the EJTS staff.

Sonny Nguyen

Sonny has been an active participant in the Edmonton tennis community for 15+ years and has played in multiple local tournaments. His continued passion for the sport has led Sonny to become a board member for Tennis Edmonton, advocating and encouraging adults to get into the sport.

In addition to these outstanding contributions, Sonny is also a devoted EJTS coach. Getting kids involved in tennis brings Sonny much joy. He hopes that his coaching positively impacts all of his students.

Dan Townsend

Dan has been an active member of the tennis community for an astounding 25 years. His seniority comes with vast achievements, including winning over 40 tournaments in singles, doubles, and mixed doubles. His tennis accomplishments don’t stop there, the continuation of his success lead to gold, silver, and bronze at the senior world masters. Dan’s enthusiasm and motivation are what drives his passion for the game. The desire to spread tennis knowledge to younger generations can be attributed to the great fun and enjoyment acquired from competing with his sons over the years. He comes to EJTS with 12 years of coaching experience all over the Edmonton area. Rest assured, “Tennis with the Townsends” is fostered and rooted in the love of giving back to the game.

Jose Lopez Peterson

Jose has been a coach with EJTS for the past 8 years, holding an instructor certification, and is a member of the Tennis Professional’s Association.

His tennis journey began at the age of 5, playing in San Luis Potosi, Mexico. Jose’s tennis experience is grounded in competition, both provincially and nationally (U12 Rogers Junior National Championships). Moving to Edmonton in 2010, he continued his training at the Saville Sportscenter which later led to his signing as a member of the University of Alberta Golden Bears tennis team. Along with his love and enjoyment for tennis, he has also dabbled in soccer and golf competitions over the years. He recognizes that sports have played a vital role in shaping his life and the people around him and tries his best to leave that same impression on younger generations.

Thinh Mai

Thinh joins EJTS with more than 20 years of playing experience, winning a handful of tournaments in both singles and doubles. He holds an instructor’s certification and is a current member of the Tennis Professionals Association.

When he first came to Canada, he actively participated in tournaments in both Edmonton & Calgary. Besides tennis, he loves to hike in the summer and snowboard in the winter. He hopes to spread the fun, skills, and knowledge of the game to the next generation. Thinh has always enjoyed interacting, coaching, and being a mentor to kids.

Harry Lin

Growing up in Saskatchewan, Harry started playing tennis at the age of 8 with his dad and brother. He quickly fell in love with the sport and started his junior career where he competed at a provincial and national level. Some of his most memorable tennis experiences is representing Team Saskatchewan at both Western Canada Summer Games and Canada Summer Games. Moving to Edmonton last year to start university, Harry continues playing tennis for the UofA Golden Bears.

Harry has completed his instructor certification and has been coaching for over 2 years. Through Harry’s coaching career, he has helped Tennis Saskatchewan run summer camps. Harry Loves to work with children and adults and hopes to share and spark new interest in the sport.

Amelie Savage

Amelie, a valued member of the EJTS coaching team for a year, holds a club professional one association certification. She coaches at Capilano Tennis Club, the Inspire Through Sport program, and the Royal Glenora Club. With a current international ranking of 2484, Amelie aims for a Division 1 NCAA tennis scholarship. Her recent achievements include winning the U18 singles and doubles titles and the U16 doubles title, with a U16 singles finalist placement at the 2024 Alberta Provincials.

Passionate about tennis from a young age, Amelie now excels as a high-performance junior and coach. Her mission is to inspire young players, emphasizing physical literacy and tactical learning. She fosters a supportive environment in her sessions, promoting sportsmanship, friendship, and enjoyment of the game.

Jasmine Motentan

Jasmine comes to the Edmonton Junior Tennis Society team with 1 year of coaching experience and almost 1 year of volunteer experience. She is a certified instructor and has taken the instructor course. She started her tennis career at the early age of 3 and continued playing until she was 16. With tennis, Jasmine learned to be more strategic and kept her active consistently. Through jasmine’s coaching experiences she’s adapted more passion for the sport and joy from seeing the prideful look on children’s faces. When she was younger, Jasmine aspired to be like Simona Halep which encouraged her to always fight for what she truly feels is right for her. The dedication and the feelings she has towards the sport is unmatched and she wishes every kid could feel the happiness she felt from hitting a ball over the net to winning a match. She hopes to encourage young children to find their excitement through sports just like she did.

Rafiel Cabrera

Rafiel’s journey with tennis began at the age of 13 at EJTS, where he quickly fell in love with the sport’s dynamics and challenges. During his first year, he volunteered as an assistant coach, igniting his passion for teaching and mentoring aspiring players.

With over four years of coaching experience and holding a recognized instructor certification, he is dedicated to helping players of all levels improve their skills and achieve their tennis goals. Expanding his help not only to EJTS but to St.Albert encouraging the beautiful sport of tennis beyond Edmonton.

Rafiel is dedicated to sharing his love for tennis and witnessing the remarkable improvement and growth of all our young talents from the first day of classes to the last.

Owen Gilchrist

Owen has played tennis since the age of 12, where he began hitting regularly with his mom. Since then he’s been training regularly through private lessons and the U18 challenger program at Saville Sports Centre. He has competed in multiple provincial U18 tournaments, and aims to do more this coming year. His passion for the game is what brought him to coaching, where he began coaching at Greenfield Tennis Club since the spring of 2023. Since then he’s been working with Edmonton Junior Tennis Society coaching anywhere from 4-year olds to adults ranging from beginner to advanced skill levels. His passion for tennis can be seen through both his game play and his coaching.

Javier Gonzalez Latorre

Javi’s tennis journey began at a young age in Chile, inspired by watching players like Fernando Gonzalez and Roger Federer. Over the years, his passion for sports has led him to various coaching opportunities, including school and academy soccer, pickleball lessons, and now, tennis. He started volunteering with EJTS in the spring of 2023, where his enthusiasm, high energy, and mentoring experience made him a valuable addition to the team shortly after. Javi has learned lots from the other coaches he has met, and appreciates the fun and supportive environment of the EJTS community. He enjoys playing all types of sports with friends, and strives to being a positive role model for kids in our tennis program.

Hoang Nguyen

Hoang recently got involved with coaching tennis as an assistant with Edmonton Tennis Community. Being guided by many great certified tennis coaches, his appreciation and adoration for coaching grew more and more. Now, he can’t wait to guide and help lead the young and future stars.  His background is volleyball, where he established himself as a high-ranking performance athlete. He was a technical coach for the U16 & U17 men’s club team. His background is discipline and volleyball, where he’s established himself as a high-performance athlete. He’s been fortunate to compete in tournaments with teams throughout Canada and internationally in Tehran, Iran, Santo Domingo, and The Dominican Republic. His last competitive volleyball tournament was with South Adelaide Volleyball Club from Australia during the world masters in 2005! 

Hoang enjoys traveling and playing tennis with his wife and kids, always improving their skills. 

Peter Skoda