Pedro Castro (born August 5, 1991) is a Canadian retired racquetball player. He won Men's Doubles at the 2016 Canadian Racquetball Championships[1] with Samuel Murray, and has been on the Canadian National Team from 2014 to 2020. In 2020, Castro announced he's retiring from racquetball to focus on baseball with the hopes of representing Chile at the 2023 Pan American Games.[2]
Castro first appeared on the podium at the Canadian Junior Championships in 2006, when he and Samuel Murray won Boys U14 Doubles.[3] They were semi-finalists Boys U16 Doubles in 2007.[4]
His first podium appearance in singles was at the 2008 Canadian Junior Championships, when he was 2nd in U16 to Jamie Slamko.[5] Also in 2008, Castro and Murray won their 2nd doubles title, winning the Boys U16 Doubles division.
In 2009, he was a semi-finalist in both singles and doubles.[6]
Castro closed out his junior years with a bang, as he won the Boys' U18 Singles title at the 2010 Canadian Junior Championships, when he defeated Jamie Slamko in the final, 14–16, 15–11, 12–10.[7] That was his only Canadian Junior singles title.[3] He was also in the Boys' U18 Doubles final with Murray, but they lost to Slamko and Kevin Caouette, 15–6, 15–13 in the final.[8]
He followed up that U18 Singles Canadian title by reaching the U18 Singles final at the 2010 International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Junior Championships in Los Angeles, where he lost to the USA's Taylor Knoth, 15–13, 15–8. He was also on the podium in Boys' U18 Doubles, as he and Jamie Slamko were bronze medalists. Castro became the only Canadian to reach the final in the boys' U18 in singles at the World Junior Championships .[9] Thus, Castro closed his junior years by becoming Canadian Champion and winning two medals at World Juniors.
Career begins (2008–2011)
Castro was still a junior when he played in his first National Team Doubles Selection Event in January 2008, when Castro and Samuel Murray lost in the Round of 16 to Lee Connell and Eric Desrochers, 15–9, 15–4,[10] and ended up finishing 11th.[11]
Castro played at the Canadian Championships for the first time in 2008 in Burlington, Ontario, where he lost in the Round of 32 to Josh Keil, 15–7, 15–1.[12]
In the 2008–09 season, Castro lost to Jamie Slamko, 15–13, 15–6, in the Round of 32 at the 2009 National Team Selection Event in Brossard, Québec.[13] Then at the 2009 Canadian Championships in Edmonton, Castro lost in the Round of 16 to Vincent Gagnon, 15–8, 5–15, 11–2.[14] He played doubles with Jérôme Normand, and they lost to Kris Odegard and Ryan Smith in the Round of 16, 15–5, 15–5.[15]
In January 2010 in Brossard, Québec, Castro defeated Josh Keil in the Round of 32, then lost to Mike Green, 15–8, 15–7.[16] But at the 2010 Canadian Championships in Burnaby, British Columbia, Castro had a then career best result, as he reached the quarterfinals for the first time. Seeded 12th, he upset 5th seed Eric Desrochers, 15–13, 15–11, in the Round of 16, then in the quarters, he lost to Tim Landeryou, 15–10, 15–5.[17] In doubles, Castro and Kurtis Cullen teamed up and were seeded 8th, but they lost in the Round of 16 to 9th seeds Lee Connell and Josh Keil, 13–15, 15–3, 11–8.[18]
At the second selection of the 2010–11 season in Brossard, Québec, Castro reached the quarterfinals, where he lost to Vincent Gagnon, 15–9, 15–3.[19]
At the 2011 Canadian Championships in Nova Scotia, Castro matched his quarterfinal performance from the previous year, losing that time to Kris Odegard, 15–0, 15–9.[20] He was also a quarterfinalist in doubles with Conrad Cole. They lost to Tim Landeryou and James Landeryou, 15–6, 15–13.[21]
At the first National Team Selection Event of 2011–12, Castro lost to Francis Guillemette, 15–10, 15–11, in the Round of 16 in Oakville, Ontario.[22]
Career breakthrough – First National final (2012–2015)
At the 2012 Canadian Championships in Brossard, Québec, although Castro lost in a tie-breaker in the Round of 16 to Kris Odegard, 11–15, 15–8, 11–4,[23] in Men's Singles, he had a breakthrough in Men's Doubles with Eric Desrochers by reaching the final. Seeded 5th, they beat 4th seeds Tim Landeryou and James Landeryou in the quarters, 15–9, 11–15, 11–5, and top seeds Mike Green and Kris Odegard, 15–11, 1–15, 11–9. But after winning two tie-breakers to reach the final, Castro and Desrochers couldn't win a third, as Vincent Gagnon and François Viens got the better of them, 15–8, 8–15, 11–9.[24]
In November 2012, at the first National Team Selection Event of the 2012–13 season in Kelowna, British Columbia, Castro lost to Nathaniel Husulak, 15–4, 15–9, in the quarterfinals.[25] But in the second National Team Selection Event in Brossard, Québec in February 2013, Castro had his best singles result, as he reached the semi-finals – beating Husulak in the quarters, 15–6, 15-11 before losing to Tim Landeryou, 15–7, 15–10. In the 3rd place match, Castro lost to Coby Iwaasa, 15–8, 15–10.[26]
The 2013 Canadian Championships were in Langley, British Columbia, where Castro reached the quarterfinals with a win over Samuel Murray, 15–13, 15–9, in the Round of 16, before losing to Mike Green, 15–9, 15–4.[27] In doubles, Castro and Eric Desrochers were the top seeded team based on being finalists in 2012. But they were upset in the semi-finals, but Lee Connell and Francis Guillemette, 15–10, 16–18, 13–11. They did win the 3rd place match over brothers Samuel and Tommy Murray, 15–4, 15–8.[28]
At the second National Team Selection Event of 2013–14 in Brossard, Québec, Castro was a quarterfinalist, as he lost to Coby Iwaasa, 15–4, 15–5, in the quarters.[29]
Castro represented Canada for the first time at the 2014 Pan American Championships in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia, where he played Men's Doubles with Tim Landeryou. They lost in the quarterfinals to Bolivians Roland Keller and Ricardo Monroy, 15–13, 15–12.
Castro lost to Iwaasa again in the quarterfinals of Men's Singles at the 2014 Canadian Championships, but their match went to a tie-breaker with Iwaasa winning, 13–15, 17–15, 11–1.[30] However, in doubles Castro played with Tim Landeryou for the first time, and they reached the finals, where they lost to Vincent Gagnon and Samuel Murray, 15–12, 15–2.[31] It was Castro's 2nd time in the doubles final.
Castro's second appearance on Team Canada was at the 2014 Pan American Sports Festival, which was a test event for the 2015 Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico. He played Men's Doubles with Tim Landeryou. They lost in the Round of 16 to Bolivians Conrrado Moscoso and Mario Mercado, 15–5, 15–11.[32]
The first National Team Selection Event of 2014–15 was in Kitchener, Ontario, where Castro lost to Tim Landeryou, 15–6, 15–9, in the quarterfinals.[33] Then in the second selection event was in Brossard, Quebec. Castro reached the final for the first time. He did so with wins over Samuel Murray, 15–13, 11–15, 12–10, in the quarterfinals, and Vincent Gagnon, 15–12, 15–13, in the semi-finals. In the final, Castro lost to Coby Iwaasa, 15–9, 6–15, 11–8.[34]
Castro represented Canada in Men's Singles at the 2015 Pan American Championships in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. There he lost in the Round of 16 to top seed Álvaro Beltrán of Mexico, 15–5, 15–3.[35]
Castro's Selection Event finals appearance didn't carry over to the 2015 Canadian Championships in Burnaby, British Columbia, where Castro was upset in the Round of 16 by James Landeryou, 16–14, 16–14.[36] In doubles, Castro and Tim Landeryou lost in the semi-finals to Nicolas Bousquet and Tommy Murray, 10–15, 15–13, 12–10, but won the 3rd place match against Vincent Gagnon and Samuel Murray, 15–13, 15–12.[37]
At the 1st National Team Selection Event of the 2015–16 season, Castro finished 4th in Brossard, Québec. He lost in the semi-finals to Mike Green, 13–15, 15–7, 11–5, and then lost the 3rd place match to Tim Landeryou, 15–10, 15–6, in the 3rd place match.[38] At the 2nd Selection Event of the season in Grande Prairie, Alberta in early 2016, Castro was again 4th, as he lost in the semi-finals to Green again, 15–0, 15–12, and was beaten by Murray, 15–6, 15–1, in the 3rd place match.[39]
Career breakthrough – International medal & National championship (2016–2020)
For a third straight year, Castro went to the Pan American Championships. In 2016, he played Men's Doubles with Tim Landeryou in San Luis Potosí, Mexico, which was their 2nd partnership at the Pan Am Championships, as they were also doubles partners in 2014. The pair came home with bronze medals after losing in the semi-finals to Mexicans Alejandro Landa and Javier Moreno, 15–11, 14–15, 11–4.[40] They got to the semis by defeating Costa Ricans Felipe Camacho and Teobaldo Fumero, 15–11, 13–15, 11–6.[41] This was Castro's first medal for Canada.
He followed up that international medal by winning his first Canadian Championship, which came in Men's Doubles at the 2016 Canadian Championships in Burlington, Ontario. Castro and Samuel Murray beat Nicolas Bousquet and Tommy Murray, 15–8, 15–1, in the final.[42] In the semi-finals, they defeated Tim Landeryou and Eric Desrochers, 15–12, 15–12.[43] In Men's Singles that year, Castro was the 4th seed but was upset by veteran Corey Osborne in the Round of 16, 6–15, 15–4, 12–10.[44]
At the National Team Selection Event in November 2016 in Valleyfield, Québec, Castro lost in the quarterfinals to James Landeryou, 15–6, 5–15, 11–3.[45] Then in February 2017, Castro was 4th at the National Team Selection Event in Calgary. He lost in the semi-finals to Mike Green, 15–6, 15–8, and then dropped the 3rd place to Tim Landeryou due to an injury during the match.[46]
Castro and Tim Landeryou teamed for Men's Doubles at the 2017 Pan American Championships in San José, Costa Rica, which was their 3rd appearance together and Castro's 4th overall. They lost in the quarterfinals to the Dominican Republic team of Ramon De Leon and Luis Perez, 15–6, 15–10.[47]
In the 2017 Canadian Championships in Brossard, Québec, Castro and Landeryou faced off in the quarterfinals with Landeryou coming out on top, 7–15, 15–10, 11–2.[48] In doubles, Castro and Samuel Murray were upset in the semi-finals by Mike Green and Trevor Webb, 15–6, 10–15, 11–8.[49]
In the first National Team Selection Event of the 2017–18 season in November 2017 in Vernon, British Columbia, Castro lost in the quarterfinals to Coby Iwaasa, 18–16, 14–4, forfeit.[50] In February 2018, Castro was 4th at the second Selection Event of the season in Kitchener, Ontario. He defeated Mike Green in the quarterfinals, 15–10, 15–12.[51] But Castro forfeited both his semi-final match versus Tim Landeryou and the 3rd place match against Coby Iwaasa due to illness.
At the 2018 Canadian Championships, Castro finished 4th in Men's Singles, as he lost to Samuel Murray, 15–0, 15–13, in the semi-finals, and forfeited the 3rd place match to Tim Landeryou.[52] In doubles, Castro partnered with Michael Leduc, and they lost to brothers Tim Landeryou and James Landderyou, 15–3, 17–15, in the quarterfinals.[53]
In the first National Team Selection Event of the following season in November 2018 in Valleyfield, Québec, Castro was 4th, as he defeated Nicolas Bousquet, 17–15, 16–14, in the quarterfinals, but then forfeited both his semi-final match versus Samuel Murray and the 3rd place match against Tim Landeryou.[54] At the second National Team Selection Event in February 2019 in Grande Prairie, Alberta, Castro came 3rd. He lost in the semi-finals to Samuel Murray, 15–6, 15–9, but won the 3rd place match versus Trevor Webb, 15–11, 15–1.[55]
At the 2019 Canadian Championships, Castro lost in the quarterfinals to Trevor Webb, 15–13, 15–8.[56][57] In doubles, Castro and Nicolas Bousquet finished 4th, as they lost in the semi-finals to Tim Landeryou and James Landeryou, 15–6, 14–16, 11–6, and then lost the 3rd place match versus Coby Iwaasa and Trevor Webb, 15–11, 15–9.[58][59]
Castro didn't compete in either of the National Team Selection Events of the 2019–20 season, and announced his retirement from racquetball in August 2020.[2]
Career summary
Castro has represented Canada seven times, and made the podium once, earning a bronze medal in Men's Doubles with Tim Landeryou at the 2016 Pan American Racquetball Championships. He one Canadian Championship, which was also in Men's Doubles but with Samuel Murray in 2016.
Career record
This table lists Castro's results across annual events.
Event
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
National Team Selection Event #1
11th*
-
-
-
-
QF
-
QF
SF
QF
QF
SF
-
National Team Selection Event #2
-
32
16
QF
16
SF
QF
F
SF
SF
SF
3rd
-
Canadian National Doubles
-
16
16
QF
F
3rd
F
3rd
W
3rd
QF
SF
CV
Canadian National Singles
32
16
QF
QF
16
QF
QF
16
16
QF
SF
QF
CV
Note: W = winner, F = finalist, SF = semi-finalist, QF = quarterfinalist, 16 = Round of 16, 32 = Round of 32, CV = Cancelled due to COVID Pandemic. The years refer to the year the event occurred, except for National Team Selection Event #1, which occurs at the end of the previous year. That is, Selection Event #1 and #2 occur in different calendar years, as the racquetball season goes from September to May/June with the first Selection Event happening earlier in the season than the second.
Baseball career
Castro is also an accomplished baseball player, and has competed in four seasons of the Ligue de baseball majeur du Québec.[60] In 2017, his first of three seasons with Acton Vale, Castro won the league championship. He played with Montreal in the 2020 season. Castro played with Laurentides in the 2023 season. Castro's mother is Chilean, which makes him eligible for the Chile national baseball team. He hopes to play at the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile.
Jennifer "Jen" Saunders is a Canadian retired racquetball player from Winnipeg, Manitoba. In her last Canadian Championships in 2019, Saunders won both Women's Singles, for a record extending 11th time, and Women's Doubles, for a 13th time. Her 11 Canadian Women's Singles Championships and 24 combined Canadian Women's Singles and Doubles Championships are Canadian women's records. Saunders was the 2009 Manitoba Female Athlete of the Year as voted by the Manitoba Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association. Saunders announced her retirement from competition in December 2019, as she accepted the position of Administrator of High Performance and Sport Development with Racquetball Canada. In July 2020, Saunders was named as one of the 2020 inductees into the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame.
Mike Green is a Canadian retired racquetball player from Burlington, Ontario. Green set the record for Men's Singles Canadian Championships at 11 in 2017, which broke a tie he had with Sherman Greenfeld. He also won 10 Men's Doubles Canadian Championships, and together those 21 Canadian titles are the most for a Canadian man.
Kris Odegard is a Canadian retired racquetball player from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Odegard won four Canadian Championships – two in singles and two in doubles. He also won several medals in international competition as part of Team Canada highlighted by gold in Men's Singles at the 2006 Pan American Championships.
Vincent Gagnon is a Canadian retired racquetball player from Montreal. Gagnon won five Canadian Championships: four doubles titles and one singles. He also competed for Canada 19 times, winning multiple medals highlighted by gold at the 2007 Pan American Championships in Men's Doubles with François Viens.
María José Vargas is a Bolivian-born Argentine racquetball player. She is the current Pan American Champion in Women's Singles, as well as the Women's Team event. Vargas is also the current South American Racquetball Champion in Women's Singles and Doubles. Vargas has eight wins on the Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT), and has finished in the top 10 seven times - five of those were within the top three with her career best coming in 2014-15, when she finished #2.
Tim Landeryou is a Canadian retired racquetball player. He was a member of the Canadian National Team from 2010 to 2020, winning multiple medals in international competitions.
Frédérique Lambert is a Canadian racquetball player. Lambert is the current Canadian Champion in Women's Singles and Women's Doubles, and has won nine Canadian Championships: five in Women's Singles and four in Women's Doubles. She has been a member of the Canadian National Team since 2008, and has won several medals in international competitions, including a silver medal in Mixed Doubles at the 2022 World Championships. Lambert was the #2 ranked player in back to back Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) seasons: 2016-17 and 2017-18.
Daniel de la Rosa is a Mexican racquetball and pickleball player. De La Rosa is the current International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Champion in Men's doubles, winning the title in 2022 in his home city of San Luis Potosí, Mexico. He's won 12 times on the International Racquetball Tour (IRT), including the 2021 US Open. De La Rosa is the first Mexican player to win the US Open, and he was the second Mexican player to win an IRT Tier 1 event.
Sebastian Franco is a Colombian racquetball player. Franco is a former International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Champion in Men's Doubles, winning the title in 2014 with Alejandro Herrera. In 2018, Franco became the first South American to win a tournament on the International Racquetball Tour (IRT), when he won the March Madness event in San Antonio. He finished the IRT's Top 10 four straight seasons – from 2015–16 to 2018–19 – with a career high ranking of 6th in 2017–18.
Alejandro Landa is a Mexican-born American retired racquetball player. Landa is a former World Champion in Men's Singles, winning the title in Guatemala City in December 2021 while playing for the USA. Previously, he'd represented Mexico internationally, winning gold in Men's Singles and Doubles at the 2017 Pan American Championships. Landa also won four titles on the International Racquetball Tour (IRT).
Samuel Murray is a Canadian racquetball player. He is the current Canadian Champion in Men's Singles, winning the title for a fifth time in 2023. Murray was the 2022 Pan American Champion in Men's Doubles ,. He became the 2nd Canadian to win a Tier 1 or Grand Slam event on the International Racquetball Tour in January 2021, when he won the Suivant Consulting Pro-Am in Lilburn, Georgia. His career high IRT ranking is #3 at the end of 2021.
Coby Iwaasa is a Canadian racquetball player. He is the current Canadian Champion in Men's Doubles, winning the title with Kurtis Cullen in 2023. Iwaasa won the 2022 Pan American Championships in Men's Doubles with Samuel Murray, and won two silver medals at the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago.
Gabriela Martinez is a Guatemalan racquetball player. Martinez is the current Pan American Games Champion in women's doubles. She is a former International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Champion in the women's singles, winning the title at the 2018 World Championships. Martinez has competed on the Guatemala National Team at international tournaments since 2012, garnering many medals across her career.
Conrrado Moscoso is a Bolivian racquetball player. He is the current International Racquetball Federation (IRF) Men's Singles World Champion, which he won at the 2022 Racquetball World Championships in San Luis Potosí, Mexico. Moscoso is the first Bolivian and first South American man to win an IRF World Championship in singles. Moscoso is also the current two time Pan American Champion in Men's Singles as well as the Pan American Champion in Mixed Doubles. He also won gold in Men's Singles at the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile, as well as helping Bolivia to successfully defend the Men's Team gold medal they first won at the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru, which was the first gold medal won by Bolivia in any sport at the Pan American Games. Moscoso has also won multiple times on the International Racquetball Tour (IRT), including the 2022 US Open, and been in the IRT top 10 for four seasons beginning in 2019–20.
Carlos Keller is a Bolivian racquetball player. Keller was on the Bolivian Men's Team that won back to back gold medals at the Pan American Games in 2019 and 2023. Their first gold medal at the 2019 games in Lima, Peru was Bolivia's first racquetball gold medal at the Pan Am Games, and they successfully defended that gold at the 2023 Games in Santiago, Chile. He was also part of the Bolivian men's team that won gold at the 2022 Pan American Racquetball Championships, which was Keller's third gold medal at Pan Am Championships to go with his two Men's Singles titles, won in 2018 and 2019.
Mario Mercado is a Bolivian-born Colombian racquetball player. He has won several medals for Colombia, highlighted by a silver medal at the 2019 Pan American Games in the men's team event. He has also won on the International Racquetball Tour.
Rodrigo Montoya is a Mexican racquetball player. He is the current International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Champion in both the Men's Team competition and Mixed Doubles, winning those titles at the 2022 Championships in San Luis Potosí, Mexico. That was his 4th IRF World Championship, as he won the 2018 Men's Singles in Costa Rica and the 2021 Men's Doubles with Javier Mar in Guatemala City, so Montoya is the first player to win singles, doubles and mixed doubles at Worlds. He is also the current Pan American Games champion in Men's Doubles with Mar, winning the title at the 2023 Pan Am Games in Santiago. Montoya is also the current Pan American Champion in Men's Singles and the Men's Team event, winning those titles at the 2024 Pan American Racquetball Championships in Guatemala City.
The 2022 Pan American Championships were held in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia, April 9-16. Bolivian Angélica Barrios won Women's Singles and fellow Bolivian Conrrado Moscoso won Men's Singles, and both Barrios and Moscoso won for the first time. Barrios's victory was the first for a Bolivian woman at Pan Am Championships, while Moscoso's win was the third consecutive Bolivian gold in Men's Singles, as Carlos Keller won the previous two events.
The 2023 Pan American Championships were held in Guatemala City, Guatemala, April 1–8. Bolivian Conrrado Moscoso won Men's Singles for the second consecutive year, and Montserrat Mejia won Women's Singles for the first time. Moscoso's win was the fourth consecutive Bolivian gold in Men's Singles, as Carlos Keller won the two events prior to Moscoso. Mejia is the second Mexican woman to win Women's Singles after Paola Longoria.
Jake Bredenbeck is an American racquetball player. Bredenbeck is a four time USA Racquetball (USAR) National Champion: three times in Men's Singles and once in Men's Doubles. He's also won the International Racquetball Tour, and represented the USA internationally.
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