In the first addition to the Cal coaching staff under Maggie Kane, The Stacy Savides Director of Women's Tennis announced Thursday the hiring of Jaan Kononov as an assistant coach. Kononov was an assistant coach at Michigan the past two seasons after stints at Pepperdine, Minnesota and Grand Canyon.
 
"Jaan brings tremendous energy, experience and passion to our program," Kane said. "Having worked with some of the nation's top tennis programs and elite student-athletes, he knows what it takes to compete at the highest level. His enthusiasm for the future of Cal women's tennis is contagious, and I have no doubt our student-athletes will benefit from his strong focus on individual player development and his relentless work ethic. We are thrilled to welcome him to the Cal family."
 
"I'm truly grateful for the opportunity from Maggie and the Cal Athletics Department," Kononov said. "I'm very excited to begin working with Maggie and to be part of a new era for the program. Cal has a proud tradition and a strong national presence, and I believe we have the opportunity to build something exceptional here and compete for championships."
 
Kononov helped lead the Wolverines to a 21-7 record (12-1 Big Ten) in 2025-26, when they completed the season with a run to the NCAA Super Regionals. Michigan hosted the first two rounds of the national tournament, defeating Illinois State 5-0 in the first round and topping No. 17 Florida 4-2 in the second round.
 
In 2024-25, Kononov helped lead the Wolverines to the semifinals of the NCAA Championship for the first time after winning their third consecutive and 13th overall Big Ten championship. Under his watch, Julia Fliegner and Piper Charney garnered their first ITA singles All-America honors, and Emily Sartz-Lunde was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year. Michigan earned a No. 3 ranking in the last ITA poll of the season, which was the highest final ranking in program history.
 
Kononov joins a Cal program that reached the second round of the NCAA Championship and posted a 13-8 record (8-4 ACC) last season, when the Bears also advanced to the quarterfinal round of the ACC Championship. Berta Passola Folch finished last fall with a run to the NCAA Singles Championship final before completing her Cal career in the spring. The Bears' talented returnees include All-American and rising senior Mao Mushika, rising sophomore and All-ACC selection Johanne Svendsen, and rising junior Naomi Xu, who along with Mushika played in the NCAA Singles Championship last fall.
 
Prior to Michigan, Kononov was an assistant coach at Pepperdine in 2023-24, when the Waves produced three All-America players, captured the WCC regular-season and tournament titles, and finished the season ranked No. 6. Before working at Minnesota in 2022-23, he served as a volunteer assistant coach at Pepperdine from 2019-22.
 
Kononov was a graduate assistant coach for the GCU men's tennis team for two seasons (2017-18, 2018-19), with the Antelopes winning both the WAC regular-season and tournament championships in 2019.
 
As a player, Kononov competed for his native Estonia in the Davis Cup and was a finalist in the Estonian singles and doubles national championships. He last played collegiately for San Diego in 2016, when the Toreros reached the NCAA Championship second round and won the WCC title. Kononov also played for Armstrong State (2012-14) and UMBC (2014-15).
 
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