The MAC Racquet Sports Team
Community-centered and and providing more than instruction but a way for family and friends to play together and stay together, we invite you to join us on the court!
COACH MIKE
Coach Michael Cianos has been instructing both adult and junior players since 2000. A Van der Meer Tennis Academy graduate, Coach Mike has been centered on instruction for junior players for the last 20 years in a multitude of capacities: clinics, group and individual lessons, afterschool programs, school coaching and classes.
His style of instruction is both effective and inspiring, offering positive and uplifting guidance on and off the court. His love for the game and fostering junior player skill and passion is infectious.
Coach Mike boasts affiliations with the following area schools and programs:
Beth Tfiloh
Park School
Calvert School
Calvert Hall High School
CCBC - Essex
ANDREW
Andrew Cianos has been coaching and teaching tennis in the Baltimore area for over eight years. Learning from his dad, Andrew started teaching at the L’hirondelle Club of Ruxton at 17 years old and learned everything from court maintenance to competitive play during his time there. He has a BS in Sports Management from Towson University and has coached players of all ages and levels.
Currently, he is head varsity tennis coach at Roland Park Country School and continues to also provide individual and group lessons for both pickleball and tennis. He is competing in professional pickleball tournaments and learning to master the sport while providing clinics, tips and tricks to organizations like the Ravens.
Andrew is versatile and upbeat and makes a great hitting partner in addition to tennis and pickleball instruction.
NEAL
Neal was born and raised in Arlington, VA. His life-long love of tennis began at 5 years old when he started learning tennis from his parents and later under the instruction of the area’s top pros. He was consistently ranked in the top 50 of the USTA Mid-Atlantic boys 16s and 18s, and went on to take first-place singles in two events. At Yorktown High School he was the #2 player on the varsity tennis team and dubbed the team’s doubles specialist. His team made states two years in a row.
His love of tennis led him to start teaching youth tennis at local clubs in the Washington D.C. area in the early 2000s. This has included teaching and leading the Arlington YMCA junior tennis summer camps and working as an assistant pro at The McLean Racquet & Health Club. Neal believes in building strong foundational skills, developing an all-court game (volleys!), and above all imparting a life-long love of tennis.
MELINDA
Melinda Cianos is COO and MAC Racquet Sports, LLC tennis and pickleball player in-training. Her career background is in youth advocacy, nonprofit and higher education; her familial background includes a long line of squash, tennis, ping pong, paddle and racquetball lovers.
She has a BA in English and is currently working on an MFA in Creative Writing and Publishing Arts in addition to loving being on the courts in the spring and fall (never in the summer!) and subscribes, wholeheartedly, to MAC’s approach to fostering passion and purpose for junior players on and off the court.
CLARK
Clark Benassi grew up and currently resides in Towson, MD. He has Master’s degree in Sport & Entertainment Management from the University of South Carolina and works as a sales representative for JOOLA, one of the top-selling pickleball paddle companies in the world. Clark spent much of his life playing soccer, but became enamored with pickleball upon completing college. He is now on the pro pickleball circuit and is a certified instructor. Moving to Tampa, FL three years ago before coming back to Baltimore, Clark spent his time there further defining his racquet skills, playing tournaments and learning from some of the top pros in the game.
He teaches lessons and clinics to a wide range of skill levels while still competing in tournaments across the country.
Off the court, Clark roots hard for The Ravens, sings and enjoys fly fishing!
CLAIRE
Claire Cianos is Head of Business Development at MAC Racquet Sports and is the eldest of the three of Coach Mike’s kids. Growing up surrounded by a family of racquet sport enthusiasts, she dabbled in tennis and squash when time allowed. While the sport has always been a hobby and close family activity, her true passion lies in helping people bring their ideas to life.
Claire is currently pursuing her MBA in Entrepreneurship & Innovation and received her BS in Communications. She is the Co-Founder of Napp, a Baltimore-based mobile app, providing vetted and reliable on-demand childcare and jobs to families and sitters. She has worked on various other ventures throughout her career, including a tennis-based product, called Pop-It Tennis, that fits on the end of your racquet and assists with ball pick up.
Upon completion of her MBA, she hopes to pursue her PhD in Organizational Psychology and become a resource for startups and businesses across the globe (of course, while still getting onto the court from time to time!).
“Coach Mike is an enthusiastic, engaging instructor. His knowledge and expertise in racquet sports, along with his positive nature, make him an effective coach!”
Junior tennis student