Judit Castillo was down 7-0 in the second game against Irina Tereschenko in her women’s semifinal Thursday night before finally getting a point.
She raised her arms in victory. Hey, why not? It was a bit out of exasperation and was a moment of comic relief in the loss.
“Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose,” Castillo said. “I got better today.”
Yeah, you could say that. You could also say Castillo has gotten a lot better in a hurry. A virtual unknown at the beginning of the PPA 2023 season, Castillo has now made consecutive semifinals, has gotten drafted into Major League Pickleball, and has an impressive upward trajectory that resulted in a bronze medal Thursday.
Castillo lost to Tereschenko, but she went on to beat Mary Brascia in the third-place match, 3-11, 11-4, 11-9 for her first PPA medal.
The No, 7 seed coming into the Denver Open, Castillo rolled through her first two matches without losing a game and then dropped the first game against No. 2 seed Lea Jansen before rallying for a 2-11, 11-6, 11-8 quarterfinal victory. The win included scoring the final three points of the match after a controversial call at 8-8 that Castillo called out and Jansen was unable to challenge because she was out of timeouts.
“It was a great competition and a lot of fun,” Castillo said. “Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose, but I’m happy to compete.”
It wasn’t like Castillo was just out there competing. She was winning. Not bad for a player who grew up in Spain, went to college in Louisiana, and didn’t play her first professional pickleball tournament until November of 2022.
“It’s just getting adapted to the rhythm of competition and playing against the top players more often,” Castillo said. “Getting adapted to the type of game that they play was the biggest change.”
Castillo’s strength has been in singles, something that she’s showcased over the past two tournaments. She’s yet to get to the podium in doubles, but her goals are lofty.
“Singles is my best game and I’ve been practicing doubles,” Castillo said. “To be honest, I want to be the best I can be and if I keep putting in the work, I think things can happen. Ideally, by the end of the year, I would like to be top-five in singles and top-15 in doubles. That’s a realistic goal for me.”
Meanwhile, Tereschenko will face top-seeded Anna Leigh Waters in the singles final on Sunday. Waters is going for her fifth-consecutive triple crown. Waters cruised through the bracket Thursday without losing a game and beat Brascia in the semifinals, 11-2, 11-2.
One of the veterans players of the PPA, Tereschenko has had a lot of success on tour. She last won gold in 2020. She also has won 10 silver medals on tour, including her last time out in San Clemente, Calif., in June 2023, partnering with Etta Wright in women’s doubles.
To watch singles day from the Oh Snap! Denver Open, visit the PPA Tour’s Youtube channel.
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