Greater Noida: If any further proof of Spain’s dominance in padel was ever required, one needed to be courtside at the Bennett University where, on the balmy Sunday evening, the men’s and women’s pair from the tennis-mad nation walked away with titles as the first edition of FIP Promotion India Padel Open drew to a close.
The day began with the women’s doubles final where Ainize Santamaria Landa and Aitana Solan Domenech showed remarkable resolve to bounce back from a set down to beat the Japanese-Spanish pair of Kotomi Ozawa and Elisabeth Nogueras Lorenz. Egged on by a sizeable crowd, the Spaniards secured the title with a scoreline of 3-6, 6-1, 6-2. The Spanish pair took a while to find their bearings as Kotomi and Elisabeth regularly sent balls to tricky corners. Elisabeth, who has been active on the circuit for a decade, was impeccable with her returns, her lethal backhand being particularly effective.
The tide, however, turned entirely in the second set as Ainize and Aitana barely put a foot wrong. Clinical in attack and defence and deft with their placements, the duo controlled the pace of the rallies and cantered to the win.
In the men’s division, Pol Alsina and Edu Altimires Ros overcame the challenge of second seeded Frenchmen Arthur Hugounenq and Thomas Seux to clinch the title in straight sets. The Spanish duo from Barcelona that came together two years back relied heavily on their smashes to seal a 6-4, 7-5 result, their maiden win on the FIP tour.
The Spaniards have been proper journeymen, plying their trade for about 15 years each. They have travelled extensively for competitions. “We have competed all over Europe, we have been to South America, Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, and now India. We see a lot of potential for this sport in India because the crowd seems to love it and it is a fairly easy sport to begin,” said Alsina. The pair will travel to Dubai next and will compete in Australia in January.
The event was FIP’s maiden foray into India and the organisers see significant growth potential. “We see a lot of promise for the sport. The turnout has been amazing and the quality on display has been superb. We expect a huge surge in padel’s popularity,” tournament director Aditya Khanna said.
