Pancho Segura: The Rise of a Champion

A rare photo of the teenage Pancho Segura on the verge of South American tennis stardom. Pancho Segura returned home from Quito in the spring of 1938. (Click Here for part one of his incredible story.) He had been three months away from home, in the cool mountain altitude, playing tennis every day. When he appeared at the Guayaquil Tennis Club for the first time after his absence, he was transformed. Stronger, faster, fitter, he was playing brilliant tennis. He was also extremely competitive. When he played with the members, he played to win. The club players were impressed. Some of them realized Pancho could be of immense use. Coming up was the annual tennis tournament between Guayaquil and Quito. The two major cities in Ecuador enjoyed an intense political rivalry, and the tennis tournament was no different. It was represented the most important championship in the country. That year a group of members of the Guayaquil Tennis Club decided· they should invite Pancho to participate in the tournament. Pancho Segura? Play for the Guayaquil Tennis Club? A lot of people were outraged at the suggestion. The ball boy? He wasn't a member and could never become a member. How...