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Greenwich resident Juan Arraya and his platform tennis partner Alex Bancila have reached third in the national rankings. What's astonishing is that Arraya has been playing the sport for just five years. Arraya, the 33-year-old director of racquet sports at Aspetuck Valley Country Club in Weston, and Bancila finished fifth at the recent U.S. national championships. A victory in Chicago in November and several other strong showings have helped the pair achieve national prominence in the sport, which is played primarily in the winter. Arraya, who formerly worked at Greenwich Country Club before moving to Aspetuck in 2007, played tennis before picking up a paddle. He still plays tennis, and enjoys both. "I can play outside in the winter, and that's one of the reasons I enjoy it,'' said Arraya, who played in the Wilton Open last weekend. "I'd much rather be outside." Most platform tennis players come from a tennis background. Many make the conversion because many of the skills are the same. "I'm surprised I've been able to get that high in the rankings, because it's super competitive,'' Arraya said. "It takes three or four years to really understand the sport." Arraya said there are some adjustments tennis players need to make when switching to platform tennis. "You need to be patient,'' he said. "You have to hit the right shot at the right time. You also have to be good at picking a partner. I remember another player telling me: One person can lose a match, but you need two to win it." Arraya is also a member of the American Platform Tennis Association Board of Directors. He is responsible for setting up clinics and exhibitions around the country. The Wilton tournament was his final competition before shifting his priorities to teaching tennis at Aspetuck Valley Country Club. "It's neat because I really enjoy both of them,'' Arraya said. "When the platform tennis season is over I enjoy going back to work with the tennis players. I enjoy both of them."
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