Moros Adds Ariel Gaitan, Kristina Brandi to Staff
July 28, 2015 | Women's Tennis
TAMPA (July 28, 2015)— University of South Florida women's tennis head coach Cristina Moros has announced the hiring of Ariel Gaitan as assistant coach and Kristina Brandi as volunteer assistant coach.
“I am extremely excited to welcome Ariel to our staff,” Moros said. “When I was looking for an assistant coach, I knew I wanted to hire someone that had a proven record of developing players and Ariel has played key roles in developing some of the best players in the world.”
Gaitan was a four-year letter winner at the University of Kentucky where he represented the Wildcats from 1996-99. He spent the last 12 years coaching junior, college and professional tennis players, working with players such as Maria Sharapova, Nicole Vaidisova and Sabine Lisicki.
“After Kentucky, I dedicated my time to teaching and coaching,” Gaitan said. “Florida has served as my home base for more than 15 years, so I now see USF as the perfect fit for me.”
“To bring someone of his caliber in coaching to USF is a huge asset to our program,” Moros said. “Ariel brings a strong vision for our program and I look forward to building a winning tradition both and off the court with him.”
A professional tennis player starting at the age of 17, Brandi joins the USF staff after a stellar career that resulted in a career-high WTA ranking of 27 in 2001. A Puerto Rico native, she earned a bronze medal in singles and silver in doubles at the 2003 Pan American Games.
In 2003, she won the most titles of any woman on the USTA Circuit with six event wins. Brandi was the first tennis player representing Puerto Rico in the Olympics to win a singles match when she beat Jelena Kostanic of Croatia at the 2004 Olympics.
“I grew up playing against Kristina and she was by far the most mentally tough competitor I ever faced,” Moros said. “She was ranked as high as No. 27 on the WTA tour, and to have someone that has played the best of the best on our staff is an incredible benefit to our program and our student athletes. She is an excellent role model for our girls and we are extremely fortunate that she is joining our staff."
Brandi and Gaitan are married and have a two-year old son named Alexander. The pair currently reside in Tampa.
For more information on the USF women's tennis program, follow @USFWomensTennis on Twitter.
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