Julian Brown, Tennis Professional
Julian comes to RIRC with exceptional teaching and playing credentials. He was a nationally ranked junior growing up and then went on to play Division 1 tennis at St. Bonaventure’s, where he competed for all 4 years. He has taught extensively in Long Island for the past 13 years, most recently as a Senior Teaching Professional at Sportime Roslyn. He is a well-rounded coach who can work with all ages and levels with skill and enthusiasm.
Anne Hobbs, Tennis Professional
Anne Hobbs was one of Britain’s leading tennis players for more than 12 years. Anne reached a WTA world ranking of 33 in singles and 6 in doubles. A keen competitor with a serve and volley game, Anne represented Great Britain in Wightman and Federation Cups from 1978-1989, and had recorded singles victories over Virginia Wade, Rosie Casals, Jo Durie, Carling Bassett, and Zina Garrison. Anne runs her own program at RIRC which includes private lessons, doubles clinics, and adult tournaments. For more information on Anne Hobbs, please click on the link to her website www.AnneHobbsTennis.com.
Aston Lawson, Tennis Professional
Aston attended Montego Bay Community College, Jamaica. He taught at several All-American Sports five-star resorts and is an instructor at the Nike/Amherst Adult Tennis Camp in Massachusetts. USPTA certified, he has been at RIRC since 1994 and excels in the development of junior players.
Miko Sarznynski-RIRC Senior Professional
Miko has been teaching successfully in the Metropolitan Area for the past 10 years working for numerous organizations such as Tennis Approach, Super Stars Tennis, and the JMTA on Randalls Island. He is a USPTA certified Tennis Professional and utilizes his background in philosophy to help his students gain a better knowledge of technique and tactics on the tennis court. In his short time here at RIRC Miko has proven to be equally popular with adults and juniors.
Mike Williams, Tennis Professional
Michael started playing tennis at 5 years old and never looked back. He was as a nationally ranked junior player until he attended Clemson University where he proudly captained the tennis team. After his college career he played on the satellite tour in which he earned a singles ranking of 1081 in the world and a top 1000 doubles ranking. Michael became a USTA “Gold Ball” recipient in 2013 when he won the Men’s “Open” Doubles Championship at the National Tennis Center.
After stepping away from professional tennis he turned his focus to teaching others the game he loves. From touring professionals, to aspiring amateurs, to beginners, Michael has twenty years of teaching experience in the New York City area and abroad. He has been a sparring partner for such greats as John and Patrick McEnroe, Martina Navratilova, Venus Williams, Andy Roddick and Jim Courier. His coaching influences include Bob Ingersole, Chuck Kriese, and Nick Bollettieri. Michael is dedicated to helping players of all levels by focusing on the fundamentals of the game and designing programs that will help each individual reach their highest level. Mike can be reached at mwilliams@advantagetennisclubs.com.
Carole Wright
Tennis Professional
Co-director of the All City Junior Tennis and Sports Camp at Roosevelt Island and the Assistant Director of the All-City Junior Tennis Program, Carole has been running junior tennis programs for children for over 25 years. She is one of the best women tennis players to come from New York. She was twice the National Indoor Women’s Champion, the Mixed Doubles Indoor Champion and the Canadian Women’s Singles Indoor Champion. She has been at Roosevelt Island Racquet Club since 1992. Prior to moving to RIRC, Carole ran programs at Crosstown Tennis. In her spare time, Carole creates handcrafted tennis ornaments. You can visit her web site at www.cwstainedglass.com.
John Guerrero
Tennis Professional
John Guerrero, born in Venezuela, was a top 200s ITF Junior and played Division 1 tennis at University of New Orleans and Lamar University. After college he played club tennis in Germany before coaching at the John McEnroe Academy and TCR in Riverdale. In addition to teaching at RIRC, he is also a real estate broker for Corcoran.
Jordan Jordan
Tennis Professional
Jordan Jordan was a highly ranked Junior player, nationally at #6 and in the Eastern Section at #3. He began his tennis teaching career just a few years ago at Sportime@Randall’s Island and has taught at Gotham Tennis, in the Bronx and The Hamptons. Jordan joins us at RIRC as a part of our group of new, young, staff pros and specializes in adult lessons and group programming.
Javier Luna
Tennis Professional
Javier Luna was a ranked junior in the USTA Eastern Section. He follows in his father Xavier Luna’s footsteps as he embarks on his tennis teaching vocation. After attending the University of Delaware for two years, he currently attends Baruch College in Manhattan.
Evan Vrsajiko
Tennis Professional
Evan Vrsajiko played Division I tennis for St. Francis College and has been a US Open hitting partner for Lukasz Kubot, Jennifer Elie and Adam El Midaway. Prior to coming to RIRC, he worked with Patrick McEnroe at the USTA Player Development Program at the USTA BJK National Tennis Center from 2013-2015, and was Junior Director of Cunningham Tennis. He is USPTA P1 certified.
Alika Ismailova
Tennis Professional
Alika Ismailova was born in Uzbekistan and was ranked in the top 40 in the country. She has competed in ITF junior tournaments and was ranked 768 in the world as a junior player. She had 3 years of experience as a trainer and a hitting partner before joining the RIRC staff in 2021 and currently attends Baruch College majoring in Finance.
Brittany Thompson
Tennis Professional
Brittany Thompson hails from Dallas, TX, and was top 20 in her state as a Junior. She played Division 1 tennis at Long Island University for all 4 years and made it to the US Open playoffs, a nationwide tourney for amateurs to earn a spot in the US Open. Before coming to RIRC, she was Director of Juniors at Manhattan Tennis Academy and Junior Coordinator at McCarren Tennis Club.
Jeremy Bolger
Tennis Professional
Jeremy Bolger is a life-long New Yorker and grew up in Greenwich Village. He played #1 in college for Roger Williams University and at Hunter College. Jeremy has worked at RIRC on and off for at least 20 years. In addition to being a part of the RIRC staff, he is a top real estate agent with Brown Harris Stevens and owner of the Ground on the LES, Manhattan’s only indoor soccer field and bar.
Bob Ingersole
Tennis Professional
Bob Ingersole is the President of Ingersole Events & Tennis Management LLC, President of the Junior Tennis Foundation and Director of Advantage Camps. A native of Australia, Bob moved to the United States in 1976 and began playing on the Pro Tour. He is fully certified by both the USPTA & PTR, has taught over 100 nationally ranked juniors, adults and 16 professional tour players. He was twice named USPTA/Eastern Pro of the year. He has also been a Tournament Director for WTA, Challenger, National and Sectional events over the past thirty years. Bob does extensive volunteer work with the USTA at local, national & international levels giving him in-depth knowledge of the junior & collegiate competitive tennis systems. Bob is currently on the USTA Eastern Sections System Review Task Force and served on USTA Eastern Board of Director’s for 16 years. In 2015 Bob was inducted into the Eastern Hall of Fame. He is also currently President of the Metrotennis CTA and the creator of the innovative Star Search Talent identification program, which identifies athletes at a young age and introduces them to tennis. Bob lives with his wife Dina in Roosevelt Island, NY.
Israel Matute
Tennis Professional
Israel “Izzy” Matute started playing tennis in New York City as a teenager. He is now a USPTR certified professional and has over 16 years of playing and teaching experience. Israel has been part of the RIRC community for a long time, following a period of teach at Manhattan Plaza Racquet Club. He has competed at different men’s tournaments making it to the finals at the USTA Eastern Challenger Series (2009) and The Blizzard Bowl (2014) at RIRC among others. Israel enjoys sharing his knowledge of tennis to all ages and levels.