By Sally Milano, USTA.com
Chase Buchanan has been among the top junior players in the country for the last several years, and he is now making his mark at the professional level, as well. Currently ranked fifth in the USTA boys' 18s and 23rd in the ITF World Junior Rankings, the 16-year-old native of Columbus, Ohio, went from winning the prestigious boys' 18s Easter Bowl title the week of April 7 to capturing his first pro title last week at the USTA Futures event in Vero Beach, Fla. Buchanan relocated to Boca Raton, Fla., last year to live and train at the USTA Training Center. He spoke with USTA.com about winning in Vero Beach, life at the USTA Training Center, his upcoming plans and more.
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| Chase Buchanan (David Kenas) |
USTA.com: You're coming off a huge win at the Easter Bowl, and now just a couple weeks later, you win your first professional tournament. How does that feel?
Chase Buchanan: It feels great. It’s a great confidence booster going into the rest of the year and heading into the French Open and Wimbledon. I’m really excited to go play those now.
USTA.com: Will you be playing the junior events at those tournaments?
Chase Buchanan: Yeah, the junior events.
USTA.com: Looking ahead to the French Open, do you enjoy playing on the clay? How do you do on that surface?
Chase Buchanan: The Futures event I just played in Vero was on clay. I like clay. I haven’t played on grass much, but I like it a lot. I like the clay, I like the hard, and I’m just feeling good about all of them.
USTA.com: Vero Beach is actually the first pro tournament in which you advanced past the quarterfinals. What do you think the difference was this time in going all the way to the championship?
Chase Buchanan: Just consistency every day with how I’m playing – not just (play) one good match, two good matches, and then a not so good match. Every match has been solidly played, and from start to finish, I’ve kept focused. If I do that, I feel pretty confident about things.
USTA.com: Are there things that you’ve really been working on in your game that helped you do that?
Chase Buchanan: I’m serving well. I’ve been working on my serve and hitting the forehand good, so that usually works out.
USTA.com: Are those some of the strengths in your game? Can you describe your style of play?
Chase Buchanan: I’d say all-court. I have a pretty good backhand, and the forehand is one of my best shots, too. And then I can come in. I stay back more, but I like to come in when I get chances, too.
USTA.com: How did you feel going into the tournament? Did you think you had a chance to take the title going into it?
Chase Buchanan: Yeah, I did. I didn’t really think ahead too much, but I definitely thought that I had a good opportunity to do well there.
USTA.com: The final looks like it was a thriller – a third-set tiebreak that you won. Did you feel much pressure in that situation?
Chase Buchanan: Yeah, I was actually up a break in the third, serving for the match at 5-3. I got tight and then finished it out in the breaker. But, yeah, I got a little nervous there at the end.
USTA.com: So after the big win, how did you celebrate? What did you do?
Chase Buchanan: We actually got in the car and drove to Orange Park that night. [Editor's note: Buchanan is competing at the Orange Park Futures this week.] We didn’t really do that much to celebrate. My girlfriend came to watch, though. I didn’t know she was going to be there, and she was there after the match, so that was good.
USTA.com: Do you travel with a group of people when you’re on the road like this?
Chase Buchanan: Yeah, right now I’m traveling with Ryan Harrison and Jarmere Jenkins, and then the coach with us is David Dilucia.
USTA.com: You live and train at the USTA Training Center in Boca Raton. How long have you been there? How do you enjoy it?
Chase Buchanan: I’ve been there since last November, and I enjoy it a lot. It’s a good environment, and it’s good for training, and as long as that’s what you want to do, it’s great for you.
USTA.com: What's a typical day like for you there?
Chase Buchanan: We’ve got school in the morning at 7 till 8:45, and then we practice for an hour and a half or two hours, and then lunch and then school again for an hour and a half. We practice again in the afternoon and then fitness and then dinner and then more studying and then some free time.
USTA.com: What year are you now?
Chase Buchanan: A junior.
USTA.com: Do you find it difficult to balance both the schoolwork and the tennis together?
Chase Buchanan: Yeah, I definitely do.
USTA.com: When you have free time, what do you like to do away from the court?
Chase Buchanan: I like to read a lot, and I have a girlfriend. It’s a pretty serious relationship, so I talk to her a lot and see her on weekends. She lives down in Miami and plays tennis, too.
USTA.com: What's coming up next for you? You’re playing in the Orange Park Futures this week?
Chase Buchanan: Yeah, I’m playing the Futures this week. I don’t play tomorrow, but I do play the next day. And after this, I’m going to the Astrid Bowl, and a week after that, I have the French Open. And then Roehampton and Wimbledon juniors, then back to Futures, and then Kalamazoo.
USTA.com: Do you have any immediate goals? Anything you’d specifically like to accomplish in the near future?
Chase Buchanan: I’d have to say a Grand Slam title would be pretty special. That would be good to have. I went to the junior US Open last year and the year before, but this will be my first time playing in the Slams outside the U.S.
USTA.com: Will you continue to play both junior and pro events?
Chase Buchanan: I’m not quite sure. I can play ITFs for another year after this year, so I’m hoping to get my ATP ranking up. That would be my goal. Eventually I’d like to turn pro. That would be my goal for sure.