Dr. Mel Collazo, an Orthodontist and former tennis professional from Little Rock, reached the finals of the United States Tennis Association National Championships in Men's 60's Doubles held in Palm Springs, California in April 2015. After advancing through the draw with earlier wins, the #4 seeded duo of Collazo and Sal Castillo (TX) defeated the #5 seeded team of Rollin Rhone (CA) and Mark Peterson (CA) in the quarterfinals. The two then defeated the #1 seeded team of Paul Wulf (CA) and Len Wofford (OR) in the semifinals. After early leads in both sets of the Championship match against Tom Smith (GA) and Chris Bennett (NJ), they eventually lost in the finals, however still came away with the coveted USTA Silver Ball.
The team of Collazo and Castillo also reached the final of their last National tournament two months ago where they beat the 2013 World Champion in Men's 60 Doubles and his partner from Canada. This is the second National Championship "ball" that Collazo has won in the past six months.