Local pros show skills at tennis exhibition at The Courts

Mar 2, 2026 By ED ZUMAR 6 min read

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The players who took part in tennis exhibition were, from left, Kevin Tran, Bridget Tran, Meredith Campbell and Mikhail Kornienko. ED ZUMAR

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Meredith Campbell, the teaching pro at The Courts, Cape Coal, has turned her love of tennis into a career of teaching others. ED ZUMAR

Local tennis pros showed off their skills at The Courts, Cape Coral Friday night, the most recent event hosted by The Courts, which is quickly becoming the go-to destination for racket sports in Southwest Florida.

Meredith Campbell, teaching pro at The Courts; Mikhail Kornienko, former ATP tour player and current head tennis coach at Evangelical Christian School; and husband and wife duo, Kevin Tran, who played collegiately at Millersville University in Pennsylvania, and Bridget Tran, wowed tennis enthusiasts with their shot making skills and passion for the game.

Campbell, who spent her youth on soccer fields, took up tennis with her father, who taught her the nuances of the game. She quickly developed her love of tennis which led her to teaching local players how to develop their skills. Her method is focused on working to enhance the ability of her students.

The journey to coaching started on a different playing field than a tennis court.

“As a kid I grew up playing soccer, travel soccer, competitive soccer through high school,” she said. “I would do tennis clinics just for fun. When I was in college at Arizona State University, my dad hurt his knee and was told to keep it strong ‘go play tennis,’ So I would go with him, it became our thing, we would play once or twice a week together and we both just fell in love with tennis.”

As she developed her skills, she decided to play in a tournament to see the progress she had made.

“At 30 years old I did my first tournament, I learned how to serve so I could play in the tournament! My dad and I played against a bunch of high schoolers, I was not in high school at the time! But I had a great time, it was super fun,” she said.

Her ability was noticed by a coach in Minnesota who convinced her to help with coaching high school players. She began with 20 players her first year, a number that grew to 200 the next year.

She then relocated to Southwest Florida where she landed the teaching pro position at The Courts, Cape Coral.

Her positive personality, patience and love of the game is what she tries to ingrain in the players she teaches.

“For me, I think it’s just meeting people where they’re at,” she said. “I try to figure out what they want out of their tennis experience. If they want to just have fun, then we’ll just have fun. If they want to get better, we’ll work on their skills.”

Bridget Tran, a former nationally ranked junior doubles player who teamed with former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin, displayed an ability that had those in attendance dazzled. Like Campbell, she also lends her considerable skills to teaching others how to enhance their game. Also like Campbell, she stressed the importance of “meeting a player where they’re at.”

“I set high standards, I really do,” she said. “So what’s the best that I can get the player then kind of shoot for the stars. I try to help them improve in every little aspect of the game and kind of get the player as good as I can get them.”

Kornienko took part in the exhibition for the second time, He has played tennis for about 27 of his 35 years. His skill level allowed him to compete on the ATP tour in his late teens until injuries derailed a promising career. He said that led to a change in mindset … play to have fun.

That change in mindset took him on a different path, to teaching players the game he loves by coaching high school tennis in Fort Myers. It was during a tournament he was playing along with his wife Sara, an outstanding player in her own right, when he was approached about coaching at ECS. Nine years later, he’s still there.

As much as teaching young players the skills needed to succeed is a priority, he said it’s also as important to convince them of the sacrifice it takes to achieve a high standard of tennis.

“The challenge is consistency,” he said. “I think a lot of times when you think of high school tennis you think of people who just pick up the racket for the high school season and think you don’t really need to practice year round. So it’s turning people who play tennis three months out of the entire year into match ready players and manage expectations with that. I want them to learn the lesson that they need to put time and effort into something if they want to succeed.”

Lisa Zuk, general manager at The Courts, Cape Coral, is instrumental in bringing events like the tennis exhibition to Cape Coral. Following the recent PPA Biomet Cape Coral Open pickleball tournament that featured 1,300 players, Zuk said it shows the enthusiasm Cape Coral tennis and pickleball players have for their respective sports.

“These events feature top players from not only our region but players from across Florida and other states as well. Next weekend we have the collegiate pickleball championships that bring players from universities across the nation,” she said.

Additional events focus on a United States Tennis Association junior event and a USTA Golden Ticket Mixed Doubles Tournament where winners can earn their way toward a USTA National Championship for their age division. A club championship, as well as other events for both tennis and pickleball, are also scheduled for spring.

For additional information on these and other upcoming events you can visit the Courts Cape Coral website at https://playthecourtscapecoral.com/ or call (239) 574-0808

Upcoming events at The Courts, Cape Coral

• March 6-8 – APP Selkirk U.S. Collegiate Championships

• March 7-8 – United States Tennis Association Level 6 Junior Tournament

Boys and girls 12s, 14s, 16s, and 18s Singles

Entry fee $75

Registration Deadline: March 5, 5:59pm

• March 21 – USTA Golden Mixed Doubles Ticket Tournament (18+)

Entry fee $55

Registration deadline: March 18, 5:59pm