Our Tennis Pros

Tennis Coach and OPTA Ambassador 

Dick Stockton

Junior Achievements:

• 20 National Junior Titles (a record at the time)

• Winner of the Easter Bowl and Orange Bowl (1968)

Collegiate Career:

• Four-time All-American at Trinity University (1969-1972)

• NCAA Singles Champion (1972)

• NCAA Doubles Runner-up (1971)

• Member of NCAA Championship Team (1972)

Professional Highlights:

• Wimbledon Singles Semi-finalist (1974)

• US Open Mixed Doubles Champion (1975)

• French Open Singles Semi-finalist (1978)

• US Open Singles Quarter-finalist (1976, 1977)

• French Open Mixed Doubles Champion (1984)

• WCT Finals Qualifier (1976-1978), Runner-up in 1977

• US Open 35-and-Over Doubles Champion (1987, 1989, 1990)

• US Open 45-and-Over Doubles Champion (1996, 1999, 2000)

• Wimbledon 45-and-Over Doubles Champion (1997)

Davis Cup & World Ranking:

• Member of U.S. Davis Cup Team (1973-1979)

• Ranked #8 in the world (1977)

Notable Career Victories:

• Defeated legends like Jimmy Connors, Bjorn Borg, John McEnroe, Rod Laver, and more.

Hall of Fame Inductions:

• Collegiate Tennis Hall of Fame (1990)

• Texas Tennis Hall of Fame (1996)

• Trinity University Athletic Hall of Fame (1999)

• USTA-Eastern Hall of Fame (2001)

• San Antonio Sports Hall of Fame (2020)

Other Certifications:

• USPTA Elite Level Pro

• IPTPA Pickleball Certification

Director of Adult Tennis

Aritz Eceiza

A native of Spain, Aritz started playing tennis at the age of six. He was part of the Barcelona University team, attending the national championship in 2015 while studying Sports Science for 3 years to help gain knowledge to apply to his coaching career. At age 16, he started his coaching career and obtained certification to teach in Europe with the L2 Spanish Tennis Association. In these formative years, he coached and traveled with some nationally ranked junior players nationwide. He moved to the United States in January 2016, first living in Arizona before settling in Charlotte.

Aritz worked at Blakeney Racket Club for 4 years, helping kids and adults achieve their tennis goals. In 2018, Aritz co-founded Time Value Of Tennis, one of the leading tennis youtube channels, helping thousands of students worldwide improve their game through online tennis instruction. He was part of the Tennis Con 2019 and 2020 and The Online Tennis Summit 2020, tennis online conferences with over 30 thousand attendees, on the speaker lineup with world-renowned coaches like Nick Bolletieri and Rick Macci. USTA Safe Play Approved.

Director of Junior Academy

Eduardo Villagomez

A Native of Mexico, Eduardo Villagomez was ranked #1 in the country in the 10s, 12s, 15s, and in doubles in the 16s and 18s. He traveled to Europe to play in the junior circuit, which included the French Open. Eduardo came to the United States on an academic scholarship to play tennis for Louisiana State University, where the team reached the #1 ranking in the country. He also had a win over the Bryan brothers and was a team captain for the LSU team.

Eduardo graduated with a degree in Architecture in 1999 and earned a master’s degree in Advanced Architectural Design from Columbia University in New York. While working as an architect for 10 years, he continued to travel in tournaments, play in exhibitions and help with clinics at Topspin Racquet Club in Columbia, SC, Wild Dunes Tennis Resort in Charleston, SC, and Towpath Tennis Club in Akron, OH.

Director of Beginner & Intermediate Junior Tennis

Alex Cagide

Alex grew up in Mooresville, North Carolina. He started playing tennis at the age of four, having learned from his father, Rodrigo Cagide. Rodrigo was #1 in Mexico for 18’s before moving to the US to play collegiately for Campbell University. Alex has played tennis his whole life and was a multi-sport athlete who played one year of collegiate baseball for Wake Tech, a JUCO, in Raleigh, North Carolina. After an injury, he got back into tennis, where he trained in North Carolina under Bruce Hawtin.

Alex started his tennis coaching career at Porter's Neck Country Club in Wilmington, NC. He then moved back to the Lake Norman area in 2015 to be the head tennis pro at North Stone Country Club and assistant head tennis coach at Lake Norman High School. He then became the tennis director of Statesville Country Club before heading down to Charlotte to join the Olde Providence Tennis Academy family.

Tennis Coach

Evgeny Slesarev

Evgeny was ranked as one of Russia's top 10 junior players for several years. Evgeny was named Athlete of the Year in Achinsk, Russia (surpassing his Olympic participant peers). He was the number one player for Gardner-Webb University (D1) for four consecutive years. During that time, Evgeny was named 1st Team All-Conference in Singles and Doubles for both the Atlantic Sun and Big South Conferences. Evgeny also achieved All-Academic Player recognition for Gardner-Webb University in the Big South Conference. Evgeny was nominated Male Athlete of the Year at Gardner-Webb University in 2010. Evgeny then played on various ITF Pro Circuit events before being injured.

As a coach, Evgeny was a sparring partner for several ATP and WTA players that were ranked between 400 and 1000 in the world. Evgeny assisted the Tennis Coach for Gardner-Webb University for both Men's and Women's teams and was an associate Head Coach for Gardner-Webb University Men’s Team. Evgeny coached Ludmila Vasyileva to her world's highest WTA ranking of # 613 (from 850). Evgeny has been coaching juniors and adults for over a decade.

Director of the Junior Intermediate Program

Marcello Giancaterini

Born in Miami, Marcello started playing tennis at the age of four and began competing at just seven years old. He trained with Rick Macci (who coached five number-one players, including Serena Williams and Andy Roddick) and Colon Nuñez (who played on the ATP tour from 1974-1980 and played for Ecuador for seven straight years on their Davis Cup team). Marcello was ranked #1 in Florida. He later moved to Charlotte, where he continued to play tennis. He competed in many regional tournaments achieving a #1 ranking and a top 50 in multiple age groups.

Tennis Coach

Yoan Roussinov

Yoan was born in London, England, and started playing tennis at the age of 6. He competed in national tournaments in England in the 12's, 14's, 16's, and 18's, consistently maintaining a national top 50 ranking. Yoan also competed in international European events, where he reached a ranking of 400. At 18, Yoan obtained a scholarship to play collegiate tennis for Queen's University of Charlotte, where he won all-conference team doubles and helped his team win the SAC conference.

With over 15 years of competitive tennis under his belt and 4 years of coaching, Yoan has in-depth knowledge about the game's competitive and technical sides. He has worked with both juniors and adults at all levels. Yoan brings enthusiasm and professionalism to the court.

Pro Tennis Coach 

Brann Reid

Brann was born in Claremont, NC (just east of Hickory) and began playing tennis at the age of 5. He started playing in competitive tournaments at the age of 7, while also playing competitive soccer for CVYSA until the age of 12. During Brann’s junior career, he achieved the #1 ranking in North Carolina for 12s, 14s, 16s, and 18s. Some of his top accomplishments include winning the Southern 16s singles title, Southern 18s doubles title, two NC Tar Heel Qualifier singles titles, and three NCHSAA 2A individual singles titles for Newton-Conover High School.

Following his junior career, Brann played collegiate tennis for the University of North Carolina Asheville and graduated in May 2024 with his Bachelor’s of Science in Biology and Health and Wellness Promotion. Over his 4 years for UNC Asheville, he amounted four All-Conference Doubles selections (2021, 22, 23, 24) and two All-Conference Singles selections (2021, 22). He was also awarded Big South Freshman of the Year (2021), Big South Men’s Tennis Scholar-Athlete of the Year (2024), and the Big South Men’s Scholar Athlete of the Year (2024). Now, Brann plans to spread his passion for the game to the next generation and hopes to enlighten players with the strategic knowledge he has accumulated over his playing career.

Tennis Coach

Liz Stockton

Tennis Background:

• First-generation American, grew up in Yonkers, NY

• Ranked junior player in the USTA-Eastern Section

• Four-year Division 1 tennis scholarship at Fordham University, NY

• Extensive teaching experience, starting as a teenager helping in her father’s programs

Coaching Experience:

• Has taught at prestigious clubs, including:

  • Bronxville Field Club (Westchester County)

  • Siwanoy Country Club

  • Westchester Country Club

  • Manursing Island Club

  • T Bar M Racquet Club (Dallas)

  • Wellington Tennis Center (Florida)

Certifications & Specializations:

• Elite-Level Pro certified by the United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA)

• Certified to run Cardio Tennis Clinics (offered at OP)

• Involved with the OPTA program

• Available for private lessons and clinics

• Certified to teach pickleball

Family Background:

• Mother from Brazil, a ranked tennis player, and part of a famous Brazilian tennis family (her uncle was a top-ranked player in Brazil, with notable results at the U.S. Championships in 1963 and 1967)

• Father from Portugal, a former bullfighter turned tennis enthusiast; served as the Brazilian Davis Cup Coach before becoming a successful teaching pro in New York

Assistant Director of Elite Academy Program

Justin Taylor

Justin started playing tennis at the age of 3. His coach from 3-13 was Juan Nunez, a former Grand Slam-winning coach. Justin then spent the remaining years in Florida training at the USTA training center and with his uncle Billy Wilkinson, a current WTA tour coach. As a player, Justin was top 50 in the nation in each age group. After juniors, he attempted to play Futures and Satellite Tour before he ended up getting injured.

As a coach, Justin has spent time in Florida as a hitting partner for various of Billy Wilkinson’s WTA players (Johanna Konta, Yanina Wickmayer, Heather Watson, and others). Since moving back home to Charlotte, he has been developing juniors in the area for the last 7 years.

JTT Director

Adrian McDermott

Adrian has almost 30 years of experience as a tennis instructor, spending several years teaching in Switzerland and New Zealand before settling in Charlotte 24 years ago. He is passionate about teaching young children and juniors and introducing new players to the game. He has coached numerous state championship teams in Junior Team Tennis over the years. Originally from Auckland, New Zealand, Adrian played tennis and rugby throughout his youth and adulthood. USTA Safe Play Approved.

Tennis Coach

Breno Plentz

Breno is from Porto Alegre, Brazil. He has over 17 years of playing experience and over 4 years of teaching experience. Breno recently graduated from Gardner-Webb University (Division 1), where he played in the top 3 positions during his career there. He has traveled the world playing tennis tournaments since he was 16. Breno won a professional M15 doubles title in Cancun, giving him an ATP ranking of 1300. Over the past 4 years, he has taught private and group tennis lessons. In addition, Breno also has a degree in International Business and a Master’s in Business administration.

Tennis Coach

Ataide (Nino) Suca

Ataide (Nino) was born in Mozambique, where he spent his Junior career becoming one of the top juniors in the country. He was in the first-ever Davis Cup team from Mozambique in 2014 and, years later, was nominated to be the captain of the 2019 Davis Cup team that reached the final stage to qualify for Group 2. Nino was also the National Champion in Mozambique for two consecutive years (2006 and 2007)! Nino traveled worldwide playing tournaments for the National Team and was nominated to play for the ITF team in Africa in 2002.

After his Junior career, Nino was offered a scholarship to attend college in the US, where he played for Barton and Shaw University for 4 years. Before moving back home, Nino lived in the US for 11 years, where he coached full-time at a high level, and currently, Ataide has 10 years of coaching experience at the top level. He continues to work with the Mozambican National Team, where one of the best players is in the top 160 in the world (ITF) and a top 4 U14 in Africa.

Juniors Tennis Coach

Katie Dalton

Katie will work with juniors on weekday evenings and weekends. Growing up training in Florida and Tennessee, she traveled and competed in many high-level USTA tournaments. Katie played #1 Singles and #1 Doubles in high school. She was awarded 2014 Tennessean Girls Tennis Player of the Year after leading her team to win back-to-back state championships.

In high school, she was ranked #94 in the U.S., was recruited to play Division 1 tennis at Brigham Young University, and competed in the West Coast Conference. These experiences have given her technical skills and a deeper understanding of the importance of discipline and hard work in achieving success. Katie has coached at various country clubs in multiple states, teaching private and group lessons to juniors and adults of all levels. In addition to coaching, Katie works at Dell Technologies in their Finance Department.

Pro Tennis Coach 

Paolo Bompieri

Paolo is originally from Italy, started playing tennis at 4 y/o, and was a top junior player sponsored by the Italian federation through under 12-16. Played in international tournaments in Europe before coming to the US where he played for Queens University of Charlotte. Earned All-Conference Awards such as Freshman of the Year and first-team all-conference. Paolo graduated in business and mathematics and started working in finance/accounting. While working in corporate, he was coaching part-time helping young players to transition from juniors to college. Managed to help players earn scholarships to the University of Michigan, Wisconsin, and USC. He is now fully dedicated to tennis working full time for OPTA.