“They helped me take my game to a whole new level. Far and away the best instructions I’ve ever had. ”
– Lee Anderson

At Shippan Racquet Club, our entire staff shares one
thing in common. A whole-hearted love for tennis.

Our team of pros is second to none. Each one was chosen based on their
proficiency in instruction, their level of play and their enthusiasm for the game.

Marshall Brown

An Atlanta native, Marshall began playing tennis at age six and competed through all junior age groups. He was No. 1 in singles and doubles in the boys' 18's for the state of Georgia. Marshall received a tennis scholarship to Tennessee State University, where he was a four-time All-Conference player. After graduating with a degree in Exercise Science, he played on the ATP tour. He has taught at the IFPA Tennis Academy in Tampa and the Olympic Tennis Center in Atlanta. Marshall has been the Head Pro at Roxbury Swim and Tennis for the past two summers. When not playing or teaching tennis, he enjoys reading, exercising, sports and travel.

Aldrin Dinya

Aldrin Dinya has represented his country of Kenya in the Davis Cup. He worked eight years for the ITF Africa Training Centre and was also the head coach for the Kenya team before he came to the United States. He has continued to have success teaching and coaching players in several categories. As a certified International Tennis Federation Level 2 coach and four years as ITF’s traveling coach, he has coached internationally ranked juniors at the Grand Slams and ITF tournaments. He worked at Oak Hills in Norwalk for two consecutive summers, leading the “A” team to wins in the Ladies “A” League in 2009 and 2010, and the “B” Team to victory in 2010. Aldrin deals with many women’s clinics as well as junior players from beginners to tournament players. He has worked at the Shippan Racquet Club since 2008. Aldrin played a key role in coaching and helping guide the Shippan Stormers to the New England Sectional championship in August of 2010. That sectional title earned the Stormers a berth and the opportunity to play in the 2010 USTA 14-and-under National Championships in Surprise, Ariz.

Eusebie Oprea

Eusebie was born in Bucuresti, Romania and he began playing tennis at the age of 8. It wasn’t long before his talent and zest for the game began paying off, gaining him top 10 rankings in juniors and men in Romania. Eusebie came to the United States to attend Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. He played singles and doubles for the Aggies and earned his degree in Physical Education. Eusebie taught and coached for three summers at the Tokeneke Country Club in Darien. He is a certified member of the United States Professional Tennis Registry and also a certified physical trainer, having earned his certification from famous fitness trainer Pat Etchberry. A huge soccer (football) fan, Eusebie’s favorite team is Inter Milan.

Faycal Rhazali

Faycal Rhazali first picked up a wooden racquet while picking up the game as a youngster in Morocco, where he was born. He steadily improved and ascended toward success on the courts. He won the Junior Nationals when he was 18 and received a tennis scholarship from Radford University in Radford, Va., where he earned his degree in Business Administration and Accounting. Faycal had an outstanding collegiate career. He was a two-time Most Valuable Player for the Radford Highlanders and he was selected to the All-Conference team. Faycal played professionally in Satellites and the Challengers in Morocco, Egypt, France, Spain and Senegal. Faycal moved to this area, he won the Men’s Open Singles title and teamed up with Mehdi Rhazali to cop the Men’s Open Doubles crown at the 2005 National Public Parks Tennis Championships that were hosted at Scalzi Park in Stamford. He previously teamed up with Meg Reynolds to win the Greater Stamford Mixed Doubles Championships in 2003. Faycal is a certified USTA high performance coach, a certified Quick Start instructor and is among the top 10 coaches in New England. He is also a USPTR/USPTA certified Level 1 professional. He’s been a member of the New England Junior Development Committee Board of Directors and the Director of Tennis at the Middlesex Club since 2008. Faycal enjoys playing paddle, staying fit and having discussions about politics. He also enjoys spending time with is wife Lissette, daughter Sophia and son Omar.

Peter Torgrimson

Torgrimson’s background includes success as a player in high school and college and plenty of teaching experience as a USPTA certified tennis professional. He was the state high school singles champion in Minnesota in 2002. Torgrimson first played collegiately from 2002-2004 at Assumption College in Worcester, Mass. He returned to his home state to play on the Division I level as a Golden Gopher for the University of Minnesota from 2004-05. After graduating from college in 2007 he played professionally and held a world ranking. Peter has taught tennis at the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, R.I., the Peninsula Racquet Club in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif., the Surprise Tennis and Racquet Complex in Phoenix, Ariz., and most recently at the Greenwich Country Club in Greenwich, Ct. He has worked with players of all ages and ability levels at several competitive junior programs across the country. Peter’s tennis philosophy is that the more fun a player has on the court, the better they will play and the more they will learn.

Charl van der Merwe

As a junior player, this native of South Africa was captain of his South African province team. Prior to coming to the United States, Charl worked with many top 10 junior players in both South Africa and New Zealand. He has also represented one of New Zealand’s provinces at the senior national tournament in 2005. In this country, Charl has held teaching/coaching positions at the Julien Krinsky School of Tennis in Philadelphia, the Beaverbrook Tennis Club in Danbury, the Tokeneke Country Club in Darien and the Country Club of Darien. He is the Director of Tennis at the Oak Hills Tennis Club in Norwalk. Charl has helped guide many of the top 14-and-under and 12-and-under age division players in the area to success. He helped coach the Shippan Stormers team that won a New England Sectional championship to advance to the 2010 USTA 14-and-under National Championships in Surprise, Ariz. Charl is also an accomplished High Performance Tennis Trainee, having earned his certification from famous fitness trainer Pat Etchberry.

Kevin van Rensburg

This native of South Africa was the No. 1-ranked intercollegiate player and a captain of the Free State Provincial team during the South African Provincial Championships from 1995-2000. He was part of the management team during the Federation Cup ties between South Africa and Bulgaria in 1995 and with Belgium in 1996. More recently, Kevin has been a teaching professional at several area clubs. He directed the Junior Sports Camp at Kings Highway Tennis Club for three summers and also spent a summer as Tennis Director at Rock Ridge Country Club. Kevin was the Director of Tennis at Noroton Yacht Club in 2009 and 2010 and has been at the club since 2008. Kevin enjoys computers, electronics and woodworking when he is not on the court. Paddle tennis is one of Kevin’s hobbies in which he incorporates his coaching acumen. Kevin is a member of the Certified Platform Tennis Professionals, having been certified as a coach by the Professional Platform Tennis Association.