By Randy Walker
@TennisPublisher
Pancho Segura may have passed away last November, but he lives on in tennis via his great nephew Matthew Segura.
The 17-year-old Matthew, striking the same two-handed forehand as his Hall of Famer great uncle, won one of the biggest tournaments of his young career when he won the special “Wild Card’ tournament for the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships USTA Pro Circuit “Futures” tournament at the Sea Oaks Beach & Tennis Club in Vero Beach, Florida. The tournament victory gives Segura a main draw singles wild card into the $15,000 professional tennis tournament held April 20-29 at Grand Harbor in Vero Beach.
“Win match point” is what Matthew told the more than 500 fans who watched him play in the Friday night final of what his great uncle would always tell him through his younger competitive years. Matthew did that four times over three days at Sea Oaks, beating three players older than him, 18-year-old Tim Slager, 36-year-old Rob Haywood and, in the final, 20-year-old Jack Vance. He also beat fellow 17-year-old Ivan Yatsuk, who is ranked No. 1,873 in the ATP World Tour rankings, in the semifinals 6-0, 7-5.
Matthew’s father Jeff Segura, whose father is Pancho Segura’s brother, said that Matthew naturally picked up his two-handed groundstroke, perhaps magically through genetics, when he was just a toddler at home with his mother. Jeff, astonished at the ball-striking ability of his young son, said he immediately sought out his uncle to show off his young son’s potential talent. Pancho was obviously pleased and began to tutor his great nephew. When Jeff began to take his son to tennis lessons with various teaching pros in the Los Angeles area, many of them discouraged the two-handed stroke as Matthew became older and stronger and able to hold the racquet with one hand. However, Jeff said that his uncle Pancho always said to be polite with the teaching pros but that young Matthew should keep the two-handed stroke, since it was such a natural stroke.
Jeff said that when Matthew sustained an injury to his right elbow when playing basketball, the doctor advised him to use it for a time period. During this time, young Matthew then began trying to hit forehands and serves with his left arm, developing an ambidextrous playing style. During his later years of life, great uncle Pancho would work with Matthew on court with the assistance of a cane and later in a wheelchair before he was not able to go on the court with him.
Pancho Segura was one of the most charismatic players in the history of the game. He grew up in poverty in his native Ecuador and moved to the United States to attend the University of Miami, where he won the NCAA singles titles in 1943, 1944 and 1945. In the pre-Open amateur era of tennis, Segura reached the semifinals of the U.S. Championships four times in the war years 1942, 1943, 1944 and 1945. He turned professional in 1947, where he toured the world playing events and exhibitions with the likes of Pancho Gonzalez, Jack Kramer, Lew Hoad and Bobby Riggs among others. He won a total of 66 pro singles titles and was regarded as the top player in the world in 1950 and 1952. His double-handed forehand was described as the single greatest shot that both Kramer and Hoad said they ever faced. To see the shot in slow motion, watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMkIt2_xucs
There are great similarities between Pancho and Matthew’s two-handed forehand, as you can see here from Matthew’s tournament run at Sea Oaks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJ0bq2C9jFU Matthew prefers to hits a lefty forehand in his ambidextrous style
To watch Tom Fish of the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation award Matthew his wild card following his win at Sea Oaks, click here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5As8MQS5IaY
The Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships is the USTA’s $15,000 Futures-level tournament played in Vero Beach since 1995 and regarded as one of the best entry-level professional tennis tournaments in the world. Proceeds from the event benefit the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation, the non-profit tennis foundation benefiting children, named for Vero Beach native son Mardy Fish, the former top 10 tennis star and a U.S. Davis Cup standout. For more information, go to www.TennisVeroBeach.com and www.MardyFishFoundation.com
