Once Sour on College Tennis, Recent Grad Midori
Castillo Meza Now Has Sights Set on Pro Tour

At 16 years old, Midori Castillo Meza was flying alone to Egypt, chasing WTA ranking points in the ITF “Futures” circuit. She still remembers the mix of fear and excitement that came with those trips to places like Sharm El Sheikh, Cairo, and Monastir, Tunisia.

“It was just me and it was definitely a bit scary, but exciting at the same time,” said the former University of Arizona No. 1 player Castillo Meza, now 21. “I feel like all my life I have been very independent and that definitely helped me to travel all the way over there by myself.”

For years, Southern California players from San Diego to San Luis Obispo and all points between had little choice but to travel thousands of miles—and spend a small fortune on airfare and lodging—to compete in entry-level pro events. These young juniors, college players, and aspiring pros looking to earn valuable WTA world ranking points entered $15,000-level ITF “Futures” tournaments in far-flung locations like Cancun, Mexico; Cairo, Egypt; and Monastir, Tunisia. Castillo Meza herself traveled to Cancun in March 2020 for qualifying at just 16 and later returned to Egypt that November, and to Tunisia for four more tournaments in 2021.

That all changed in May 2022, when the SoCal Pro Series debuted with seven ITF $15,000 tournaments in San Diego and Los Angeles, bringing professional opportunities right to their doorstep. Designed specifically for players like Castillo Meza, the SoCal Pro Series offered (and still offers) competitive matches and pro opportunities without the logistical and financial burdens of international travel, giving Southern California players a chance to earn WTA points right in their own backyard.

The Chula Vista native wasted no time. In that first season, she entered five singles events and four doubles draws, earning her first WTA ranking point.

Her biggest breakthrough and most memorable SoCal Pro Series came at the final tournament of 2025. Playing in front of family and friends at San Diego State, she won four straight-sets matches to reach the quarterfinals before falling to Santa Barbara’s Kayla Day. She also matched up with her college teammate Brandelyn Fulgenzi to reach  her first doubles final.

“I just remember being so mentally tired,” she recalled. “I beat [former Top 10 college player] Kylie Collins to get to the quarterfinals and I was just so happy. I was crying at the end of the match. That was definitely the highlight.”

Since then, Castillo Meza has now played 17 SoCal Pro Series events in singles and 13 in doubles, making her one of the most active participants. “It’s really been amazing because instead of flying I can just drive an hour or two,” she said. “Having these events just opens up so many doors for so many players here in SoCal. I do miss the travel and the experience of meeting players from around the world and learning about different cultures.”

Currently ranked No. 1420 in the world, Castillo Meza is turning her full attention to the professional tour after graduating in May with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications and a minor in Sports Management and Public Relations. She trains daily at Scobee Park in Chula Vista with her longtime coach Antonio Ramos, building on lessons from former WTA pro Angelica Gavaldon, who first coached Midori and her older sister Naomi as children and remains a close mentor and friend today.

Ramos called Castillo Meza a “non-stoppable Lioness,” while Gavaldon recalls the sisters coming to her as beginners: “Oh my gosh, they were feisty and very hard-working, disciplined and determined. Midori is one of the hardest working students I’ve ever had.”

Midori started tennis at age 7 or 8, training under Gavaldon in Coronado for four years after crossing the border daily. Castillo Meza says she continues to put the work in on the court because “playing pro tennis has always been what I wanted to do.”

Naomi, two years older than Midori, is currently traveling in Portugal for a month. Back home, she works with Tony Ley at the nonprofit organization Club Raquetas located in Chula Vista and San Ysidro, and also teaches alongside Gavaldon. 

Naomi says Midori’s dedication to the sport is off the charts – and always has been. “She’s always been a very disciplined person,” Naomi said. “Ever since she was 11 or 12 she would wake up at 4 to 5 in the morning to start doing footwork exercises, jump rope, or any other type of exercise she could do in her room just to start getting ahead of her practices that were pretty early.”

Naomi even recalled how Midori’s social life shifted as her commitment to tennis deepened. She stopped hanging out with her sister or her friends because she was so focused on her tennis. “That’s when her tennis mostly improved as well as her mentality,” Naomi said. “She always gives it all on the court, I have never seen her give up even when she’s losing 0-6 0-5, and that is something that I always admired about her.” 

The sisters are complete opposites in regards to personality. “She has always mentioned that I am more extroverted than her since she considers herself an introvert, but it’s something that she doesn’t showcase when she’s in public,” Naomi said. “On the court, I would say she’s more aggressive than I am, she likes to attack her opponent while I like to play more strategically.”

Another huge difference is how they treat their opponents as Midori is all business with Naomi describing her as “very cold on the court” while Naomi is more empathetic with her opponent. 

It was Gavaldon who encouraged Midori to pursue a degree instead of turning pro straight out of high school.

“To be completely honest with you at first I did not want to go to college,” explained Castillo Meza, who said she was getting a ton of recruitment letters from some of the elite tennis schools as a top 10 national junior. “My parents are Mexican and so over there college in the U.S. isn’t really talked about.”

That changed when an assistant coach from Arizona emailed her in Spanish. Intrigued, she scheduled a virtual meeting and ultimately committed without even visiting campus. “I thought, ‘Alright, I’ll give it a try.’ Without even taking a visit I signed. It just felt like home, and I had won a national tournament in Tucson so it was kind of meant to be. Honestly, I could say it was the best decision. I just loved the team and my coaches so much.”

Looking ahead, Castillo Meza knows she has a long way to go if she is to reach the heights of Mexico’s No. 1 player Renata Zarazúa, ranked No. 75 in the world, who upset Top 10 American Madison Keys at this year’s US Open.

“It’s definitely motivated me because when I look at her, I see similarities in our height,” said Castillo Meza, who stands two inches shorter than Zarazua at 5-foot-1-inches tall. “We’re not the tallest and so just watching her beat players that have previously won Grand Slams or that are Top 10 and just being at that level definitely inspired me. We have been watching videos of her and trying to learn things and emulate her style.”

Long term, Castillo Meza dreams of opening up her own tennis academy in Mexico one day.

“Tennis is definitely my passion and I don’t see myself away from tennis,” she said. “I am so addicted to it. It’s like if I don’t play for one day I need to play the next day. I don’t even like taking vacations because I can only think about tennis, which is sometimes bad. When I’m older I would definitely love to give more tennis players the opportunity to have the proper coaching and proper training, especially because in Mexico the opportunity is very limited.”

Naomi shares a similar dream, though with a focus on access for low-income kids.. “Personally for me, aiding low income kids that are not able to access this sport because of the amount of money that it takes to play is something that really motivates me to keep coaching,” Naomi said. “Whereas Midori focuses more on teaching high performance levels.”

Her connection to family and heritage extends even to her name, which carries a special story. A close family friend from Japan, whom her mother met when she was studying abroad as a teenager, suggested “Midori,” which in Japanese connotes vitality and natural beauty. That friend remained close with Midori’s family, even moving to Mexico years later to work in a medical clinic with Midori’s mother. “It’s kind of unique, so I love it,” Midori said.

As Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated nationwide, Castillo Meza takes pride in her roots and recognizes her culture.

“I’m just so proud to have been born in the U.S., but raised in Mexico,” she said. “I just love the culture and everything that being a Mexican-American means. Everywhere I go I meet Mexican people, and they are just like family. That’s one of the most important things to me in my life knowing I have so many amazing friendships and family members all across the U.S.”