🌟PRESENT AND PAST COURTSENSE STARS🌟

STEPHANIE YAKOFF

Stephanie Yakoff has always remained the most focused and goal oriented player we have had. She has had tremendous success in all of her endeavors and has been for many years one of the most promising players in the US.She has won many national tournaments resulting in both a gold and silver ball, the most prestigious honors in junior tennis.

Currently Stephanie’s ranking is #7 in the Country and #1 in the East. She is also #5 in the country in her recruiting class.Stephanie’s favorite player throughout the majority of her young tennis career is Stan Wawrinka. She aspires to be a pro player and certainly is well on her way.

DANNY COHEN

A truly inspirational story, Danny Cohen has been playing for 11 years and in the 10’s and 12’s he was a top player. He suffered a stress fracture in his foot separating him from the sport for over a year. He then returned with an intensive fitness schedule before stepping onto the court.

Danny came out on fire and ready to earn back the ranking that he had achieved pre-injury. After returning he went to the quarterfinals in the Orange Bowl, won a Super Six 18’s division, became a Blue Chip player and brought his ranking back up to 13 Nationally in the 16’s and 5 in the East in the 18’s. His ultimate goal is to earn a scholarship to a top D1 school, followed by going pro. Danny has proven to be a fighter and able to conquer anything he sets his mind to. We cannot wait to see where his inner flame will take him.

CLAIRE AN

We are thrilled to have Claire as part of the CourtSense and Home School Team. Claire has been playing tennis for 7 years and was #1 Eastern in the 12’s and currently #1 in 14’s. She continues to progress in her game .It seems like the sky’s the limit for her.

Claire’s list of accomplishments are extensive; however, when asked to choose her biggest achievement, her answer was quickly winning Hard Court Nationals. This earned Claire the prestigious Gold Ball, a valued experience that Claire is working tirelessly to achieve again.

Her goals include getting a great college education, followed by going pro. She had a difficult time selecting her favorite player as there are soo many she admires and respects; however, Dominic Thiem is the player she chose after much consideration.

We see a lot of Claire in the club training; however, she values her friendships and tries to spend her well earned down time visiting with them.

It has been a wonderful experience watching Claire grow into the player she is and we look forward to watching her achieve all of her dreams.

ZEN UEHLING

Zen Uehling, one of our most dedicated players has been with CourtSense his entire life. Joining “Teddy Tennis” at Tenafly at 2 years old, it was clear that he had a natural ability with the sport. Although Zen has accomplished many things in this young tennis career, most recently he won the 12U Super Six.

Through his consistent training and hard work, Zen has earned the ranking on #5 in the East and #26 in the US in 12 and under.

Upon asking Zen his aspirations, there was no hesitation in the firm answer of playing professional tennis and winning Grand Slams, following in the footsteps of his favorite player Novak Djokivic. Zen’s tennis training is intensive with CourtSense and his coaches but he still finds time to enjoy his favorite hobbies, chess, studio art, skiing, and mountain biking. Zen has been a pleasure to watch grow on and off court and we look for amazing things in his future.

IVAN NIKOLOVSKI

Ivan has been part of the CourtSense program since he was 4 years old, starting in the Red Ball tiny tots Tenafly Racquet Club group and progressing to one of the top juniors in the East and the US in the age groups for boys 12 and 14’s under.

He has had some unfortunate injuries in the past 18 months, however since March 2020 he has been able to train with continuity, and recently he played his first ITF junior event at an age of 15. We are very confident that with his hard work and dedication he is back on the path to reach his goals of playing the highest level of college tennis and a pro career.

In his free time Ivan loves doing other sports, watching comedy, and doing his homework

LUKA BUTERA

Home Schooled with CourtSense, Luka Butera is like family to the team. Spending our days with him there is so much to learn from his commitment and confidence.

He began playing at 4 years old with his sister Alexa who is one of our graduates. His goals are to get a college scholarship and continue with his tennis career after he pursues his education. Luka struggled with the question of his favorite player. His ALL TIME favorite player is Roger Federer but recently has come to admire Dominic Thiem and learns a lot from his style of play. Currently Luka is #7 in the East in 18’s and has most recently came in 3rd in a Super Six Tournament after fighting through some tough battles. Luka is well known in the area for his incredible footwork, which is no surprise, as he spent many years on the soccer field as a child. An all around athlete Luka has chosen tennis as his focus but finds time to hit the basketball court whenever possible. We look forward to watching Luka’s college recruitment and seeing him reach all of his goals.

NICOLE OKHTENBERG

Nicole Okhtenberg is one of the newest members of our CourtSense team. She has been playing tennis for 6 years and has a long list of accomplishments, including her highest ranking of #1 in Girls 12’s and #35 in Girls 14’s, although she has only been playing the 14’s since July 2020. As she is on court many hours a day, naturally her immediate response when asked about her hobbies was simply TENNIS.

Roger Federer has always been her favorite player and has developed a strong work ethic growing up watching him play. Nicole’s future goals are to become a Pro Player and win one of the Grand Slams some day.. We look forward to watching her many future wins..

FILIP NIKOLOVSKI

Filip is another of our young stars that started playing tennis at CourtSense as a 5 year old in the Red Ball groups at Tenafly Racquet Club and has worked his way up to the High Performance program at Bogota Racquet Club.

His passion for the sport has helped him get some significant results in the Boy’s 12 and under category with ranking as high as #33 in the US and #6 in the Eastern Section.

We hope that with his hard work he gets closer to his dreams of one day becoming a pro tennis player, and at the same time his infectious smile keeps being his trademark :).

ANIRUDH DHANWADA

Anirudh Dhanwada is one of our most improved and dedicated players. He has kept his motivation up and pushed himself throughout his 9 year tennis career. His commitment to the sport was made clear during the worst time of the pandemic.

As getting onto the courts was not as easy, Anirudh pushed himself to the limits with his fitness training. He was often seen in the parking lot of the club running, jumping rope, and working on various footwork drills. He came back stronger than ever and ready to win. Through his hard work he has earned the ranking on 15 in the East in Boys 14. Much like his favorite player Novak Djokovic, his drive to be a professional player is great; however, he will put this on hold to pursue his studies as he manages to succeed in the classroom as well as the courts.

His passion for the sport has helped him get some significant results in the Boy’s 12 and under category with ranking as high as #33 in the US and #6 in the Eastern Section.

We hope that with his hard work he gets closer to his dreams of one day becoming a pro tennis player, and at the same time his infectious smile keeps being his trademark :).

CHRISTINA MCHALE

Christina worked with CourtSense from 2006 through October, 2011, and from 2012 to 2013. We’re very proud of the fact that at the end of 2010, she achieved a WTA ranking of #106, which made her the highest ranked player for her age or younger in the world, and in the following years she got as high as #24 in the World. At the young age of 18 she had some very impressive results, including wins over Melanie Oudin, Victoria Azarenka, and Nadia Petrova.

Christina was the youngest girl in 2006 to receive a Wild Card invitation to the Junior US Open after winning the 18’s National Clay Court Championship. She won a Wild Card tournament and received an invitation to play in the 2009 Australian Open Singles tournament. After that match, she went on to win the Junior Australian Open Doubles title. The same year, she won the 18’s National Hard Court Championship title, earning her a Wild Card into the 2009 US Open.

At the US Open, she handily won her first match against the 81st-ranked player in the world 6-3, 6-1. This earned her the tremendous opportunity to play Maria Sharapova in a featured night match in Ashe Stadium, televised on ESPN during prime time. Her 2009 US Open debut ended that night, but at the time it showed millions of viewers of what was about to come.

Christina’s highest ranking was 24 in the world in 2012. She was a member of the 2012 US Olympic Team as well as the being a member of the US Fed Cup Team a number of times. She has had two impressive wins over Caroline Wozniacki while she held the #1 ranking in world, a win over the 2011 Wimbledon Champion Petra Kvitová while ranked #2 in the world and a win over the 2013 Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli at the US Open. CourtSense will always be a home to Christina as she keeps striving for success on the pro WTA tour.

BERNARDA PERA

Over the past 5 years Bernarda has spent significant time training with our CourtSense team at our High Performance facility in Bogota. She first came to us as one of the most promising juniors from Croatia and with committed work and laser focus was able to keep progressing at all stages by first competing in the junior Grand Slams, and then starting in the “minor leagues” of pro tennis where she had great success and set herself up for a great 2017 and 2018 where this year has been highlighted by her reaching the 3^rd round of the main draw of the Australian Open and playing the main draw of both Roland Garros and Wimbledon. This summer she reached her highest ranking of #68 on the WTA tour, and we hope that she keeps being able to progress up the rankings and bring her signature smile wherever she competes.

MATIJA PECOTIC

Matija Pecotic first came to Courtsense during his final year at Princeton University in 2013. While at Princeton, Matija become the only tennis player in the history of the Ivy League to win Player of the Year honors three years in a row (2010-2011, 2011-2012, & 2012-2013) as well as being award All-Ivy League honors each of his four years. He was a four-time recipient of the Leon Lapidus Memorial Award (2010-2013) and is only one of three tennis players at Princeton to be chosen as an ITA All American in 2013. At one point during his senior year he ranked as high as #2 on the ITA College singles ranking. Upon graduating, Matija took his talents to the ATP circuit where in one year he went from a singles ranking of 1674 (2013) to 580 (2014). 2015 season was even a better year, as he won 4 different future level tournaments and finished the season with his first $75,000 ATP Challenger final in China which had brought him his highest ranking of #207 on the ATP singles ranking list. His incredible rise in the rankings has been a great inspiration for the whole CourtSense Team and we are proud to have a player like him represent CourtSense on and off the court. Last year Matija decided to stop his pro career as he got accepted in the Harvard Business School where he should be receiving his MBA in the spring of 2019.

SONIA TARTAKVOSKY

Sonia is part of the CourtSense Home School Team. Attending Stanford Online Home School program, her schedule is extremely demanding. Attending private classes all day, while squeezing in hours of fitness and tennis on her school break periods, she defines the word committed. Sonia has been a top 30 recruit in the country and moving up, as she clearly lives her life striving for excellence. This gave her the opportunity to be recruited by some of the best schools and top program in the country, and she decided to join the UPenn team and get a spot at the prestigious Wharton School of Business. Sonia’s goals include getting a great education, as well becoming a professional player. A plan CourtSense truly supports. We are all behind Sonia all the way, and expect that she will someday be a Business Woman and a professional tennis player!

LUIS FLORES

Luis has trained with CourtSense for many years. In 2002, Luis was a Junior Wimbledon quarterfinalist and in 2003, he was ranked # 9 in the world in the ITF Juniors with wins over such notable players as Novak Djokovic and Marcos Baghdatis.

Luis trained with CourtSense for many years. In 2002, Luis was a Junior Wimbledon quarterfinalist and in 2003, he was ranked # 9 in the world in the ITF Juniors with wins over such notable players as Novak Djokovic and Marcos Baghdatis.

After junior tennis, Luis went on to play Division One tennis for the University of Georgia Bulldogs. In 2007, Luis was ranked #1 in the country in doubles, partnering with 6′ 10″ John Isner, and was top ten in singles, winning the NCAA Championship title with arguably the best men’s college team ever assembled. Luis achieved an ATP Ranking of 423 in the world.

LAUREN MCHALE

Lauren trained with CourtSense from 2006 to 2010 during which time ranked as high as 100 in the world in the ITF Juniors and became the #2 college recruit in the United States, helping her earn the #1 spot on the prestigious Princeton tennis team as a freshman. There, Lauren was awarded the “Ivy League Rookie of the Year”. She decided to transfer to North Carolina University for her sophomore, junior and senior year, where she received her college degree and along the way collected a couple of All-American awards and also lead the Tar Heels to #1 ranking in college tennis in her senior year. Lauren’s hard work and openness to our methodology enabled her to achieve these impressive milestones and she has since been very successful in her professional life off the court.

KATIE GOEPEL

Since Katie Goepel has been playing USTA events, she has netted the following honors and high rankings:

Katie was part of the CourtSense High Performance Team for 4 years, from 2006-2010 and achieved many special results: 12-under: #1 national doubles ranking; #4 national individual ranking; and #1 USTA Eastern ranking Selected to participate in Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day on Center Court of US Open; US National Open Champion in both singles and doubles. Top-100 national ranking in USTA 18-under; Southern Open Champion, Chapel Hill, NC, summer, 2009; ITF Canadian Open Doubles Champion, Fall, 2009; National 5-star recruit on Tennis.com; Katie attended Princeton University.

AVA MARKHAM

Ava Markham as a junior was ranked as high as #43 nationally in Girls 18@U. She trained with CourtSense from the age of 10. We have watched with pride, as she has grown into an aggressive competitor and focused player. A five -star recruit, she was quick to be recruited by many colleges, but ultimately chose University of Wisconsin, where as a freshman has started with a great record while maintaining her grades. We miss her upbeat and funny personality, but we are very happy that she is acclimating very well to college life.

KARL POLING

Karl is one of our most talented players. He started with CourtSense, along with his sister Lilian 6 years ago and has never ceased to amaze us with his passion and skill. At the age of 15, Karl won a Grade 5 ITF tournament in Canada; and got as high as top 150 juniors in the world. Karl was a Blue Chip on tennisrecruiting.net; this is the most prestigious ranking given; and it placed Karl within the top 20 college recruits in his class. He was heavily recruited by many top schools and at the end decided to join Princeton University. As a freshman he has had a great 2018-19 season, playing top 3 on a very competitive team in the Ivy League. Karl is not only a force on the tennis court, he is academically gifted, and achieved extremely high grades despite the amount of travel and training required of him. Go Karl and go Tigers.

MATTHEW CHE

Matthew Che, one of CourtSense most tenured students, is a great source of pride for us! At 18, his ambitions to get a great college education become a reality as he was just accepted at the Notre Dame, where he will be part of the very competitive tennis team, with the hopes of becoming a professional player after he graduates. Matthew has been playing since he was 7 years old, and joined the CourtSense family more than 9 years ago. Although he does participate in the highest level USTA national tournaments, in the past few months Matthew spends most of his time traveling the country and world playing ITF tournaments. Tennis is Matthew’s number 1 passion, but at all times you will catch him watching all sports, especially his second great love being baseball. We are so happy to spend our days with Matthew watching him grow on and off court, and confident that he will continue his path while at Notre Dame!

KHYANNA SINGH

One of our most promising high performance players, Khyanna Singh, has been playing tennis since the age of 11 and has been Home Schooled at CourtSense for 3 years. At 17, she is in the midst of her college search with a few Division 1 schools already offering her full scholarship. Currently she is ranked #25 in the Eastern section, #305 Nationally, and her highest ITF rank is 667.

Her favorite tennis player is Alexandra Krunic, as they have a similar style of play. After she graduates from college, her intention is to join the Pro Circuit.

We expect to see great things from Khyanna in for the rest of her junior career days, her college as well as professional pursuits.

RIMA ASATRIAN

Rima joined CourtSense in 2010, and her ability to learn and her commitment to constant improvement was an inspiration to all of her teammates as well as her coaches. We watched with pride as she got accepted at Columbia University and played on the team for 4 years, while getting her degree.

VALERIE SHKLOVER

Valerie Shklover,a CourtSense student from 2010 to 2012. She graduated as one of the best high school players and a top 50 recruit in the country, and become part of the Yale Univerity’s women’s team.

ALEXANDRA SABE

Alexandra Sabe was part of the CourtSense family for 6 years , and is known to be one of the most dedicated and committed players we have seen. She has always refused to accept no as an answer, and this is why she has achieved so much! Attending Purdue University on a full tennis scholarship, she has lead this team to many successes! As a junior Alex achieved 226 ITF ranking.

ARIELLE SHUREN

Arielle Shuren, one of our former Star Power players, was part of the CourtSense High Performance Team for 4 years. She joined us with a long list of accomplishments, and continued to excel, where as a full scholarship player at Delaware University was able to get her college degree. She is currently getting her Masters Degree in Exercise Science and still shows up in our facilities to spend some time on and off the court with our most promising young players.

LILIAN POLING

Lilian Poling is one of our former top players, who will always be remembered as great role model for everyone around her. An elegant player on and off the court, with great energy that led her to a full scholarship at Boise State. Lilian trained with us for 4 years, and her achievements have always been spectacular. She was a 5 star recruit and frequently made the Prince top 100 list. Tennis has always been in her family, her father, Jim Poling, is the West Point Head Coach, and the most winningest coach in Army’s Men’s tennis alongside the constant support of her younger brother, Karl, whom has also been one of our star players.

VALERIA SALAZAR

Valeria Salazar, a student of Carlos Cano since she was ten, has been training with CourtSense program since March 2008, At only 16, Valeria had won many national championships in Mexico: 10, 12, and 14 and under.
After winning the Junior International Tennis Tournament from Central America in 14 and under, she was chosen to be in the ITF/COTECC Central America and Caribbean Team Cosat Circuit 2009. Valeria also participated in the ITF/CAT African and World Team in the European Summer Tour 2009.
Valeria attended Syracuse University on a full scholarship and is currently getting her post graduate degree in England.

ALEXA BUTERA

Alexa first picked up a racquet at age 3. By the time she was 5, she was taking tennis lessons with Tatsumi Okuda from NJ. When the family first moved to Iowa, she alternated between mom; Sandra Butera and Tatsumi in the summers. Her next coach in Iowa at the age of 8 was Bunny Bruning a former WTA player (1974-1983). Between 9-10 years old, she was training with Dalibor Pavic and Gary Scholl. Alexa spent the next few years experiencing the benefit of these 3 coaches as they collaborated on her game. By the time she was competing in the 10s & 12s, she became #1 in the Missouri Valley section. She reached a ranking of #30 Nationally. Alexa was part of the CourtSense High Performance team for 3 years, and was accepted in Air Force where currently she is going through her first year.