Staff Directory
Kukharchuk, Nika
Nika Kukharchuk
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
Nika Kukharchuk joined the Princeton women's tennis staff as an assistant coach for her first season in 2025-26 and was most recently was the assistant women’s tennis coach at Columbia from 2022-25.
Kukharchuk recruited and coached the Northeast Rookie of the Year who went on to become the US Open Junior Doubles Champion in 2024 along with the Ivy League Player of the Year.
“We are so grateful Nika has joined our program,” head coach Elizabeth Johnson said. “She adds so much to our staff due to her time as a professional player and as a coach to top juniors. We are so thankful Princeton provides the opportunity for us to have a really strong second assistant, like Nika, to be on staff.”
Kukharchuk helped Columbia to achieve a No. 2 Northeast year-end ranking in 2025. In 2024, the team reached a No. 45 national year-end ranking and won the ECAC Championship.
On the recruiting side, Kukharchuk aided Columbia in assembling the No. 17 recruiting class for 2025.
Between 2018-2021, Kukharchuk served as the travel coach for one of the top juniors in the world. Nika traveled to numerous ITF events (including junior Grand Slams), USTA, and UTR tournaments where her primary responsibility was player development including on court coaching, match preparation, and analysis. Under Kukharchuk's direction, her player earned a Top 30 ITF junior world ranking, gained entry into junior Grand Slams and won multiple events.
Kukharchuk also served as an official practice/hitting partner for numerous players (men and women) at the US Open in 2017, 2018 and 2019.
From 2018-21, Kukharchuk coached the No. 13 ranked Junior player in the world who went on to rank in top 30 in the world in ITF Juniors, gained entry into Junior Grand Slams and was victorious in multiple ITF Junior tournaments.
Kukharchuk is a Senior Tennis Professional at Grand Slam Tennis Club in Bedford, N.Y. where she has worked since 2013. Prior to Grand Slam she served as tennis professional and travel coach at Hardscrabble club in Brewster, N.Y. from 2008-2013.
Kukharchuk holds a BA in finance (2007) and an MBA (2008) from the University of Mississippi where she was a member of the Ole Miss Women's Tennis team from 2004-2008. She was a team captain her senior year, ranked No. 26 in doubles and No. 59 in singles and was named SEC (Southeastern Conference) player of the week in 2008. Kukharchuk was instrumental in the team becoming SEC Western Division Champions in 2005 for the first time in the program history. Kukharchuk was also named to the ESPN Magazine Academic All-District VI second at-large team.
Prior to attending Ole Miss, Kukharchuk was ranked No. 3 nationally in 16U in Russia, where she was born.
Kukharchuk recruited and coached the Northeast Rookie of the Year who went on to become the US Open Junior Doubles Champion in 2024 along with the Ivy League Player of the Year.
“We are so grateful Nika has joined our program,” head coach Elizabeth Johnson said. “She adds so much to our staff due to her time as a professional player and as a coach to top juniors. We are so thankful Princeton provides the opportunity for us to have a really strong second assistant, like Nika, to be on staff.”
Kukharchuk helped Columbia to achieve a No. 2 Northeast year-end ranking in 2025. In 2024, the team reached a No. 45 national year-end ranking and won the ECAC Championship.
On the recruiting side, Kukharchuk aided Columbia in assembling the No. 17 recruiting class for 2025.
Between 2018-2021, Kukharchuk served as the travel coach for one of the top juniors in the world. Nika traveled to numerous ITF events (including junior Grand Slams), USTA, and UTR tournaments where her primary responsibility was player development including on court coaching, match preparation, and analysis. Under Kukharchuk's direction, her player earned a Top 30 ITF junior world ranking, gained entry into junior Grand Slams and won multiple events.
Kukharchuk also served as an official practice/hitting partner for numerous players (men and women) at the US Open in 2017, 2018 and 2019.
From 2018-21, Kukharchuk coached the No. 13 ranked Junior player in the world who went on to rank in top 30 in the world in ITF Juniors, gained entry into Junior Grand Slams and was victorious in multiple ITF Junior tournaments.
Kukharchuk is a Senior Tennis Professional at Grand Slam Tennis Club in Bedford, N.Y. where she has worked since 2013. Prior to Grand Slam she served as tennis professional and travel coach at Hardscrabble club in Brewster, N.Y. from 2008-2013.
Kukharchuk holds a BA in finance (2007) and an MBA (2008) from the University of Mississippi where she was a member of the Ole Miss Women's Tennis team from 2004-2008. She was a team captain her senior year, ranked No. 26 in doubles and No. 59 in singles and was named SEC (Southeastern Conference) player of the week in 2008. Kukharchuk was instrumental in the team becoming SEC Western Division Champions in 2005 for the first time in the program history. Kukharchuk was also named to the ESPN Magazine Academic All-District VI second at-large team.
Prior to attending Ole Miss, Kukharchuk was ranked No. 3 nationally in 16U in Russia, where she was born.
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