Discovering Tennis in Kouvola

Vol 29, Issue 02, 18 September 2026 

Tennis has a long tradition in Kouvola, with opportunities for both recreational players and more experienced athletes. One of the central organizations supporting tennis in the area is Kouvolan Tennisseura, KoTs, a club with around 70 years of history. Over the decades, the club has played an important role in developing tennis activities in Kouvola, from outdoor courts to organized training and competitions.

One of the most special places connected with tennis in Kouvola is Koskenranta in Kuusankoski. The area has three clay tennis courts managed by KoTs, surrounded by a beautiful riverside environment. The history of tennis at Koskenranta goes even further back: the courts were originally built for the recreational use of employees of the Kymi paper mill(UPM-Kymmene). Today, the area is open to a much wider tennis community.

What makes Koskenranta particularly interesting is its atmosphere and historical character. Next to the courts stands a 100-year-old tennis pavilion, designed by architect Bertel Liljeqvist in 1926. The protected pavilion includes changing rooms, showers, toilets and a small kitchen area. Together with the clay courts and surrounding nature, it creates an environment that feels quite different from a typical modern sports facility.

A training session at Koskenranta offered an opportunity to experience the facilities of KoTs from both a player’s and a coach’s perspective. The session was led by “Rasmus Metiäinen”, a tennis coach and experienced competitive player, whose knowledge of the game and attentive coaching approach made the training both focused and enjoyable.

The session combined technical exercises, movement and tactical elements, with attention to playing style and court positioning. Rather than focusing only on individual shots, the training explored how technique, movement and decision-making come together during actual play.

The setting added another dimension to the experience. Training on the clay courts of Koskenranta, surrounded by the riverside landscape and the area’s historic atmosphere, created a very different feeling from a typical indoor training environment. The combination of KoTs’ tennis tradition, Rasmus’ coaching expertise and the unique character of Koskenranta made the session more than simply a training opportunity.

For someone who has played tennis for many years and also worked as a tennis coach, continuing to play was an important part of settling into life in Finland. The training at Koskenranta offered an opportunity to continue that passion while discovering the local tennis community.

Beyond the court, the experience also highlighted the role sport can play in connecting people. For an international student, joining a sports club can be a natural way to meet people, share interests and become more familiar with a new city. Tennis creates a common language that can bring together people from different backgrounds.

Koskenranta therefore represents more than a place to play tennis. Its combination of sport, history, nature and community makes it a distinctive part of Kouvola’s tennis culture. For someone arriving in a new country, finding a place to play can also be a way of finding new connections and becoming part of the local community.