Ricky Sanford is the Director of Tennis at Westport Tennis Club. Originally from Stratford, Connecticut, Ricky joined the Westport Tennis Club staff in 2003. He is also the Director of our summer program. Ricky played college tennis at Franklin Pierce College, graduating in 2003. He led FPC to their first two NCAA Tournament appearances in 2002 and 2003. He also received the Richard Burns Award in 2003, given to the College’s Student-Athlete of the year. In addition to his time at Westport Tennis, Ricky has also spent time teaching at Sportime in Mamaroneck, NY, and Grand Slam in Banksville, NY. His experience, energy, and enthusiasm are infectious to both the adults and the juniors that play with him.

Beth Norton joins our staff on a full time basis, and comes to us from the Trumbull Tennis Club where she taught for the past 17 years. She is known for the Point Play program which she brings to Westport Tennis Club. Beth is an accomplished tennis player, as she was ranked 20th in the world during her career. She was No. 1 in the country and No. 5 in the world in the 18-and-under division. She also played doubles with Steffi Graf at Wimbledon. Beth has been inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame for all of her tennis accomplishments. She is USPTR certified.

David Mwanza was born in Zambia in Sub Saharan continent of Africa. David has developed tennis talent from beginners to elite players. A PTR certified professional at Midtown Tennis in Chicago and Billie Jean Tennis Center in NY, David has maintained industry experience and coaching development for over a decade. Twice Ohio State Championship high school coach, his experienced has evolved around numerous players and clubs. David has been at westport for the last three years and taught in Fairfield County for the last 7 years.He holds a bachelors degree in Business Admin and Accounting specialty. David has 3 children Benjamin, Zachary and Naomi, all tennis players. David spends his summers in the Brookfield/Litchfield area directing tennis programs. David's mission is to grow the game and teach players enjoy the game and the competition.

Vanessa Costeines is a former professional tour player. Originally from France, she was in the top 5 in the Juniors and participated in professional ITF and WTA tournaments with wins in the top #100 and under and won two National Championships. Vanessa played #1 Singles and both #1 & 2 Doubles for Virginia Tech. She helped her team to win the Atlantic Championship for four consecutive years. She was the first women’s tennis player in Atlantic 10 history to earn Most Outstanding Performer and Most Outstanding Rookie Performer honors in the same season 1996. Vanessa’s teaching philosophy integrates mental and physical conditioning with tennis fundamentals. She is a member and certified as Mental Toughness Coach, ITPA Tennis Performance Trainer, USPTR, Women’s Tennis Coaching Association. USTA CT Board of Directors (2018-2020)

Will Mercorella has spent many years in and around the game of tennis. He joins WTC from Bedford Golf and Tennis, where he was an Assistant Director. A competitive USTA junior, Will was ranked in the top ten in both 16s and 18s in New England before playing Division 1 tennis at Lafayette College. He played both singles and doubles and was the captain of the Men's tennis team. Will has worked at clubs across Fairfield and Westchester County over the years. He has taught and coached juniors, adults and aspiring college players. His passion for the game and energy on court makes for great instructional experience for all levels.

Phil Savat A native of Montreal, Canada, Phil Salvat started playing tennis at three years old. He played Nationals in Canada, the Junior Tour (ITF), including the Orange Bowl, Eddie Herr and the Sugar Bowl and ATP Tour tournaments. He was ranked #4 in Quebec, Canada at 14 (14 and under). He won the National Team Tournament and the Prince Championship in doubles. Phil finished as the finalist in singles at the All-Canadian. He was ranked #5 in Men's Open in South Florida. After some injuries which ended his playing career he decided to start coaching tennis. He has coached players ranked as high as 500 in the world. Phil has over 19 years coaching experience and is USPTR, USPTA Paddle Certified and USTA Quickstart 10 & Under Tennis certified. During the past nine years he has taught at clubs throughout Fairfield County and during the summer at the Fairfield County Hunt Club.

Vishnu Prasad comes to Westport Tennis Club with over 15 years of coaching experience from country clubs to non-profit Tennis organizations. He is a passionate professional who believes in creating positive incremental changes through a thoughtful approach. Vishnu captained his high school tennis team two years in a row and played college tennis in India. After receiving his Bachelor in Business Management, Vishnu has been teaching tennis in the tristate area including Rockridge Country Club, Armonk International Tennis Academy, Elmwood Country Club, and New Canaan Racquet Club. He is a PTR Professional and Sports Science-Level 1 certified. When he is not teaching, he enjoys traveling and working in film and TV.

Trevor Morris moved to Fairfield County in 2014 where he played Varsity Singles for Saint Joseph’s High School in Trumbull, CT and trained privately with James Blakes former coach Brian Barker. He played for the competitive club team at his Alma Mater Johns Hopkins where his passion for teaching the sport began. Since graduating and moving back to Connecticut, he has been a pillar in the Fairfield County tennis teaching community and has worked with tennis lovers ages 3 to 91 years old.

Sasha Lebedzeva, born in Belarus, started playing tennis at age 4. She excelled in junior tennis across Europe and participated in ITF tournaments, achieving a top five ranking in her country before turning 18. Sasha recently graduated with a degree in Marketing Analytics and spent five years playing at the number 1and 2 positions for a Division 1 University in Tulsa, Oklahoma.