Sal Castillo, Grand Slam Champion

Sal Castillo blazes a path into the semi-finals of the National Indoors on Thursday

Player Profile: Sal Castillo

Career Highlights
•#1 in 1991 in USA in 35 singles
•Represented the USA in the Italia Cup in 1993-1994
•Recognized by SPORTS ILLUSTRATED for winning Grand Slam in Doubles in National 35’s
•Formerly ranked #1 in the World in 45’s singles
•Was ranked #1 in the World in 50’s singles
•Won national 50’s Indoor and Hardcourt championships in 2007
•Currently living and coaching college tennis in San Antonio, Texas

Boise--Sal Castillo breezed into the USTA Men's 55 Indoor Championships at the Boise Racquet and Swim Club. The fit and youthful tennis player from San Antonio didn't start playing tennis until he was a sophomore in High School, yet he played College tennis at Southern Illinois and spent time on the ATP Challenger tour.

Castillo's ground strokes are flawless, his footwork unmatched by any of his peers, but most striking thing about Sal Castillo is a calm confidence that infects all that takes time to chat with him.

We had so many questions to ask:

You have an impressive tennis resume?

My first year of doubles in 35’s; I won all the doubles with four different partners; A Grand Slam, that had never been done before. I also won indoor singles that year, and I have been on 11 cup teams, four world championships.

Where did you play college tennis?

At Southern Illinois

That doesn’t conjure up images of a Tennis Powerhouse school?

We were top 20 but were not stellar. I had only been playing tennis three years; I didn’t start until I was a sophomore. Id played baseball and picked up tennis as an off season training sport and started to like it more and more, set some goals and decided to switch to tennis full time, and haven’t looked back since.

What was it about tennis that hooked you?

It was my personality that hooked me, baseball was something that I was brought into, I liked it, I was good at it, so anytime you are good at something, hit a ball, catch it, I could do all of that stuff naturally. The thing about baseball is that you have to wait nine turns to bat, wait for the ball to be hit to you. I don’t have that personality to sit and wait. I wanted to be batting all the time, I wanted to pitch, I wanted to be the one catching all the time; tennis afford you the opportunity to be hitting the ball all the time, you don’t have to sit and wait your turn in the dugout in total boredom.

Boredom?

In tennis you have no excuses; in baseball you’re dreading the thought of someone losing the game for you. If I lose, I lose no one to blame. Id rather be in charge of my own destiny and outcome.

How do you explain your sport?

In tennis you can play all your life. The key is finding people you enjoy playing with; the reason I play tournaments is to play against the best, that’s what I want to do. I’ve won my share and lost my share, what keeps me coming back is that I want to play with the best. It’s not to say that I don’t enjoy going and playing recreational tennis, I do and there’s a place for that. But again the competitor in me wants to play against the best; I enjoy that more than anything else. That said I don’t come out here just to win a tournament; I come out to play the best I can, that’s what I’m looking to do. If I win the tournament I win it, if I don’t, I don’t. You find the best players in the world at these tournaments. Of course you have to prepare yourself. It’s frustrating when you have an injury I have a bad knee, and Im trying to overcome that injury, that’s frustrating because I know I play better.

Is that the way it is on the Senior circuit?

To a certain degree everyone out here has some kind of injury. I think what’s nice about tennis is that you can still play and break through those barriers. I’m still playing but not at the level I had been playing my whole life because of the knee injury.

There’s a lot of frustration in the game, some quit if they’re not having enough success, do you see that in the Seniors?

I see that in junior tennis in the United States, it doesn’t take much to frustrate a player, they have the option of doing something else. They would rather not deal with the frustration and challenges of not winning right now. I coach college tennis and I try to teach the right attitude to have in any circumstance, whether it be tennis or anything else, they are doing the best they can. Like I said everyone out here has some kind of limitation, we are not as fast, we are not as strong, whatever, but the thing is that you go out there and do the best that you can, so we keep that frustration at bay and get overwhelmed to the point of quitting.

The more you play the less frustration you have?

You got to have a love of the game, a passion to keep going out there and its hard. I was losing to guys that couldn’t touch me and losing to them bad but in the back of my mind I know Im doing the best I can if I cant do it, I cant do it. My doubles partner recently suffered a massive heart attack, our time here is limited, go out and do the best you can.

What can we do to be better players

I think it’s having a good attitude, the things that you do to be successful at your level is what I have to do at my level. You have to follow the habits of a good athlete. You have to stay in shape, you have to watch what you eat and you have to get enough sleep, be reasonable with a balanced approach, go have a beer or two, but you cant be drinking every night during a tournament, You cant eat whatever you want during a tournament you got to approach it with a plan to compete well. You will enjoy tennis more if you get your share of wins. If you are playing leagues and tournaments, you’re an athlete, that’s the way I look at it.

National Indoor Championships Day 4 Results

2nd seeded and defending Champion Chris Bennett of Marlton, New Jersey makes the semi-finals

Upsets in Doubles Mark Day 4 of National Indoors

Boise--Put the greatest 55 year and older athletes together under one roof and something magical happens. Each and every athlete is out to win and that effort results in prolonged elevated play, "U.S. Senior tennis is has more talent and depth than ever before," said Tournament Director Robert Sterk, we are seeing a groundswell of that here."

Unseeded Rhone and Stanley upset the number two seeds Butorac and Rettenmaier 6-3,6-4 this afternoon in doubles. "Im in the finals, Im playing for a national champoinship," said an elated Rollin Rhone of Culver City, California. Rhone had to break in a new doubles partner for the tournament, the surprise change in partners payed off for the lanky Californian.

In the other Doubles semi-final number one seeds Fred Robinson and Tom Smith lost to unseeded Leslie Curtis of Shaker Heights, Ohio and Bruce Van Maanen of Nebraska in a tough three set match, 6-3, 2-6, 6-4.

In Singles play top seeded Fred Robinson won a straight set match over a very tough and inspired Brad Richison 6-2, 6-1 ending a great run by the unseeded, hard serving player from Oklahoma. Robinson will meet the 5th seeded Carl Seechen of Texas in the semi-finals at 10-am Friday morning.

In the other Quarter final action, senior tour veteran Sal Castillo of Texas beat Robert Chappell 6-4, 6-1, while Chris Bennett of New Jersey took out Miguel Phelps of Arizona in a crazy match of momentum changes 6-0, 4-6, 6-4. The Bennett and Castillo matchup is also scheduled for Friday morning.

National Indoor Championships Day 3 results

Fred Robinson of North Carolina wins his third round match at the USTA National Indoor Championships in Boise. Putnam photo

Top Seeds Advance in National Indoor Championships at BRSC

Boise--Top seeded Fred Robinson and second seed Chris Bennett advanced to the quarter-finals of the USTA Men's 55 National Indoor Championships at the Boise Racquet and Swim Club in Boise, Idaho.

Robinson struggled with a game Rollin Rhone of Culver City, California who gave the top-seed all he could handle in a tough three-set match. Rhone clawed and fought through the second set but Robinson found the zone in the third, cruizing to a 6-1, 4-6, 6-1 victory.

"Adversity, what adversity? I was playing the ball," said Robinson who was a study in concentration throughout the match. Rhone did his best to mix things up, but it was all lost on the nation's number one ranked player in Men's 55.

At the other end of the draw, Chris Bennett from Marlton, New Jersey played a quiet, efficient match. He hit an astonishing number of first serves, made just a few unforced errors on service return and racked up winners off both his forehand and backhand against the tough Mark Sullivan 6-2, 6-1.

Day 3 results:

Miguel Phelps d. (5) Andrew Standley 6-1, 4-6, 6-4

(4) Sal Castillo d. Troy Crabel 6-2, 6-2

(5)Robert Chappell d. Leslie Curtis 6-3, 6-4

Karl Sechen d. Kelly Davidson 6-1, 6-3

Ray Pascale d. Saeed Nowrasteh 7-6, 6-3

Brad Richison d. Eric Finkle 6-0, 7-5

Grant Upchurch from Meridian, Idaho put in another gritty performance in back-draw action losing a hard fought match with Brad Lowe, of Ogden, Utah 6-2, 5-7, 6-2. Roger Hazelwood had a walkover win in the backdraw and will play Thursday morning against John Diaz of Orange, California.

Senior Tour Profile

Hopchik: Blue collar pride on the Senior Tour

Boise--Harlan Hopchik is comfortable at the Boise Racquet and Swim Club, the jovial, likable player comes from a blue collar Philadelphia family and the homey clubhouse atmosphere at the BRSC suits him, despite that fact that he teaches tennis at the Anatole Club, one of the swankiest clubs in Dallas.

“So basically I started as self taught player out of Philadelphia, and I learned on the public courts. I was a football player, played baseball but wanted a lifetime sport so I gravitated for tennis.

Hopchik is a self professed over-achiever. After a successful junior college tennis career he walked on at Florida State and to the shock of the Philly tennis crowd, made the team. He was a grinder on the courts, getting by on speed and guts and that grit and passion carried over into his life.

“All the sudden I could see that I could play tennis, I became a teaching pro and I was good at it. I teach people from all over the world and juniors as well. I’m patient, a good communicator and I’m very good at footwork and point production. What made me a good tennis player made me a better pro, I wanted it badly, I wanted to excel at something on my own and I’ve done that,” said Hopchik.

The adopted Texan is a late-starter in life, but the late start in tennis and career actually worked to his advantage, it game him perspective and more importantly it brought a love to the sport but it also brought national rankings that validated what he knew all along, that he belonged on the tour.

“I’m ranked #4 in Texas in men’s 55,” Hopchik says with pride. “Im ranked #53 in the United States, 25^th doubles! I have been ranked as high as 13^th in the country in the Men’s 50’s, so for a guy that hasn’t played pro tennis, its remarkable what I have done. Yet Hopchik admits that the tour is a work in progress.“The best I have ever done in a National Tournament is the round of 16 in Savannah,Georgia. Other than that I usually get to the second round. But I love what I’m doing, I love the guys on the tour.

Hopchik says tennis is larger than life: “Its very important, it keeps you healthy, its good for your mind, it’s a great way of meeting people from all around the world and at the same time you are learning a craft/skill that you can play into your 80’s or 90’s.

Harlan Hopchik is what's right with the game, he plays with unbounded joy and he’s looking to get better with each match, that’s what keeps him young.

Indoor National Tournament Notes

Upchurch's and Specht Fall in Indoor Nationals

Boise--Grant Upchurch had accomplished a life-time goal: to win a match in a National tennis tournament, in fact he's done it twice! He won his first round match last year and this year in hard- fought gritty matches, but that luck ran out this morning when he lost to silky smooth 9th seed Miguel Phelps of Prescott, Arizona.

Phelps continually hit big first serves, dropped the ball on a dime, where ever he wanted, and ran Upchurch all over the court, leaving the gritty Boiseian no margin for error. When the dust cleared Phelps walked off the court with 6-1, 6-0 win. Upchurch put in an amazing match and showed grit today but Phelps was too much; nonetheless Upchurch was still the talk of the tourney.

Joel Specht played amazing tennis in this National Championship. His match yesterday was a triumph of will for the veteran tennis player. Today he was down early but caught fire and completely turned the match around and even dominated play winning the first set 7-6. But Specht met his match with Leslie Curtis of Shaker Heights, Ohio. Curtis dug in, continually changed strategy before securing a 6-4 victory in the third.

Chris Bennett, last years champ is not much different than any other player at the BRSC. He is modest and unassuming, not what you'd expect from one of the best seniors in the world. In between matches we chatted about tennis, equipment and fitness. I asked if he had any tricks of the trade in terms of Senior tennis survival.

"I don't think there are any tricks anymore, the internet pretty much took care of that, If I need to know anything I go there," he chuckled. "I'm aware of what I need to attend to," he says. Bennett says the pickle juice trick for cramps works. He says its important to keep hydrated and powered up for matches. We both complained about shoes and racquet's and how manufacturers continually change their lines. "I was playing with a racquet that went out of production five years ago, I finally found another that I could use," he says.

He says if you want an edge in tennis to work for it, he says working out, lifting weights and doing cardio will give you the edge needed to win matches, he explained it all about avoiding injuries. I asked about this jovial bunch of players in BRSC clubhouse. He says the camaraderie of the senior tour is one of the big draws for him. He says it's a big fraternity of good friends and good times.

Top Seeds Advance in Indoor Nationals

Putnam photo
Chris Bennett and Tom Smith were named to the ITF World Seniors Team, the players met in the Indoor Singles final last year, Bennett advanced in a straight set victory while Smith was upset in a tough match.

Defending Champ Bennett Advances to 3rd Round of Indoor Nationals

Boise--Defending USTA Men’s 55 Indoor champion Chris Bennett of Marlton, New Jersey advanced to the round of 16 with a quick 6-3, 6-0 win over Mark Massey of McLean, Virginia. Bennett arrived in Boise on Monday but he almost didn't make it. His trip to Boise was in jeopardy after nearly four feet of snow buried his South New Jersey home last week. “I came out here expecting even more snow, but when I landed in Boise the weather was real nice.” Bennett is tennis pro in Marlton, New Jersey and says a championship here would springboard him and his teamates into international competition.

Last month the USTA announced that Bennett, top seed Fred Robinson and Robinson's doubles partner, Tom Smith will represent the United States at the 30th ITF Seniors World Team Championships hosted by Federacion Mexicana de Tenis. The team championships feature the top senior tennis players in the world on March 29- April 3in Mexico City, Mexico.

The ITF Seniors/Super-Seniors World Team Championships is the most coveted team event on the ITF Seniors circuit. Since its inception in 1981, the number of worldclass senior competitors in this event continues to grow each year.

"My goal," he says started out as just making a National Team, I made the team at 50 and now the 55's. We have a chance to win the Cup and this tournament is a part of that goal."

Day 2, Second Round Results
2) Christopher Bennett d. Mark Massey 6-3, 6-0

Mark Sullivan d. (9) Dave Delancey 6-4, 6-4

(9)Miguel Phelps d. Grant Upchurch 6-0, 6-1

(5)Andrew Stanley d. Timothy Butorac 6-2, 6-1

(4)Sal Castillo d. Tom Rettenmaier 6-1, 6-7, 6-3

(9)Toby Crabel d. Tom Monahan 6-7, 1-0 (Ret, inj)

(9)Leslie Curtis d. Joel Specht 6-7, 6-2, 6-4

(5)Robert Chappell d. John Diaz 6-1, 6-0

(5)Carl Sechen d. Robert Levine 6-3,6-0, 6-4

(9)Kelly Davidson d. Mel Collazo 4-6, 6-4

(9) Saeed Nowrasteh d. Tom Lonergan 6-2, 6-4

Ray Pascale d. (3)Tom Smith 7-6, 6-4

(5)Eric Finkle d. James Nelson 6-1, 6-0

Brad Richison d. (9) Scott Rockwood

(9)Rollin Rhone d. Charles Cole 6-2,6-3

(1)Fred Robinson d. David Northney 6-1, 6-3

Men's 55 Indoors Underway

Grant Upchurch hits a cross-court forehand Monday morning at the USTA Men's 55 Indoor National Championship at the Boise Racquet and Swim Club in Boise Idaho. Upchurch won the match 7-5, 6-2.

USTA Men's55 Indoor Championships, Boise,Idaho: Monday Results

Boise--The United States Tennis Association's Men's 55 National Indoor Championships got underway this morning at the Boise Racquet and Swim Club. Idahoans fared well on the first day of competition with veteran Joel Spect of Boise beating Dennis Hiilsmeier of San Antonio, Texas, 6-1, 6-1. Spect used a flurry of deep penetrating drives and a tough first serve to pull out the win.

In the first upset of the day Grant Upchurch of Meridian, Idaho beat Louis Grajeda of San Diego 7-5, 6-2. Upchurch had a first round upset last year in the National tournament. "I returned and served well," said Upchurch, but I'll have to cut down on the unforced errors in the second round."

Bill McGrath of Boise got off to a slow start, but then found his game and played Mark Sullivan of Eastern Washington tight in a 6-1, 6-4 loss. Joe Grimm even in a convincing loss, got a lot of balls over the net and looked sharp at times against tour veteran Thomas Monahan of San Diego in a 6-1, 6-0 defeat.

First Round Results:
Mark Massey d. Russell Jilot 6-2; 6-0
Mark Sullivan d. Bill McGrath 6-1; 6-4
Grant Upchurch d. Louis Grajeda 7-5; 6-2
Tom Rettenmaier d. Bruce Van Maanen 6-3; 7-5
Thomas Monahan d. Joe Grimm 6-1; 6-0
Joel Specht d. Dennis Hiilsmeier 6-1; 6-1
Robert Levine d. Cecil Martin (wd inj)
Tom Lonergan d. John Donelan 6-7; 7-5; 7-6
James Nelson d. Douglas Parks 6-1; 6-3
Brad Richison d. Brad Lowe 6-0; 6-0
Charles Cole d. Kevin Oneil6-3; 6-3
David Northey d. Philip RoholtWd (emerg)