USTA Missouri Valley honors National Hispanic Heritage Month

Check out these feature stories from across USTA Missouri Valley celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month, which takes place Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 in the United States.

🎾 Hailing from Caracas, Venezuela, Marianella Padron has enjoyed the sport of tennis for the past 40 years. Padron—director of tennis at Millennium Family Fitness in Joplin, Missouri—has orchestrated several events hosted by Millennium this year, including junior tournaments and a vintage tennis day.

That vintage event was right up her alley, as Padron has amassed 5,000 vintage racquets plus other tennis memorabilia. Find out how Padron got into collecting by clicking here.

🎾 USTA Nebraska league captain Christian Cortinas grew up playing baseball in the Dominican Republic but reluctantly switched to tennis as a 13-year-old when his father bought him a racquet.

And 37 years later, Cortinas is still going strong as a tennis competitor. He is an avid league player in Omaha and enjoys watching and playing alongside his three sons, all of whom play in USTA leagues, too. Read more about Cortinas by clicking here.

🎾 Tennis teaching professional Armando Espinosa is originally from Mexico City and now works as the director of tennis at Ames Fitness Center in central Iowa.

A USTA Iowa Board of Directors standing committee chair, Espinosa has coached college tennis at such schools as Iowa State University, Wichita State University and the University of Oregon. Read more about Espinosa by clicking here.

🎾 After eight years behind a desk working for a Fortune 500 company, Cristian Pensavalle knew something was amiss. He decided to return to the tennis coaching industry, which he called "the best decision I've ever made."

Pensavalle—who is from Caracas, Venezuela—is now an award-winning Tulsa coach who focuses on shaping character in his work, which includes coordinating Junior Team Tennis squads. Learn more about Pensavalle's path back to tennis by reading this story.

🎾 Thiago Santos came to the U.S. from Maringa, Brazil to play tennis at Wichita State University. Santos earned ATP Tour points playing doubles at the pro level and now serves as regional director of adult tennis at Genesis Overland Park in Kansas. He is also the national director of Cardio Tennis.

Santos, who has claimed six USTA Gold Balls and competed in the US Open playoff tournament, discusses what he loves about tennis and how he's built relationships that will last a lifetime in this Q&A.