Team spirit to the fore as World Padel League kicks off
Panthers and Jaguars get off to winning starts on Day 1
Dubai: Fun, team spirit and cameradrie were on display as the inaugural World Padel League got off to a sizzling start at the Coca-Cola Arena on Thursday.
Panthers were the team to beat as they were clinical and sometimes ruthless in taming Tigers 4-0 in their first match. The main architect of Panthers’ stunning start is 14th seeded Alex Ruiz, who won the mixed doubles with Bea Gonzalez and then partnered UAE’s talented Fares Aljanahi to give Panthers a breezy start.
Very comfortable
“Alex is a very calm person. He is consistent, whether winning or losing a point and that gave me the confidence and felt very comfortable,” said an elated Fares Aljanahi, ranked eighth in UAE.
Exciting times
Spaniard Ruiz heaped praise on his partner, calling him the best player in the world.
“He played very well and I am happy for his game. I am happy to see the growth of padel in Dubai and excited to be playing with my partner and with my team,” said Ruiz.
In a team game it is all about supporting each other and Tigers displayed their fighting qualities in the fourth set, despite being down 3-0.
Fredrico Chingotto and Paquito Navarro brought some hope to the Tigers as they fought tooth and nail to stay level with Panthers’ Arturo Coello, ranked fourth, and Javier Garrido. After staying level at 6-6, the set went into a tiebreaker, which Coello and Garrido won 10-8, bringing a marathon set to an end that enabled the Panthers to keep their slate clean.
Global audience
Garrido, who has had his hand in many sport including tennis, football, handball before keeping a firm hold on padel, feels the game is growing at a rapid pace and will reach a global audience in another 10 years’ time.
“When I started playing padel, my friends asked me what is padel?. Now all the people play padel. It is growing at a very fast pace in Europe and in Dubai,” said the 22-year-old, who is aiming to reach the No 1 status.
“It is a young sport. In 10 years’ time it will grow to great heights. In Europe, we see Swedish and Italian players play, which is very important for the sport. If only you have players from a couple of countries like Aregntina, Brazil and Spain, then it’s not going be a global sport,” added the Spaniard, who now needs a good rest after the gruelling opening encounter.
The day started with Jaguars outwitting Cheetahs. The biggest surprise of the day was delivered by the Gemma Triay Pons and Alejandra Salazar. The third-ranked Jaguars’ duo shocked the world No. 1s Ariana Sanchez and Paula Josemaria Martín of Cheetahs to win the third set 6-4, that gave them the lead at 2-1 before they clinched the men’s doubles set to win the match 3-1.
“It’s a new format and we are just having fun inside the inside the court, super fun. We are here to win and that’s team Jaguar’s culture,” the winning third-ranked duo said, announcing Jaguars’ intentions to pounce on their rivals.
Prodigious young talent
It was a day to remember for the four UAE players. UAE’s prodigious young talent Abdullah Abdullah, partnering Franco Stupaczuk, eased past Pablo Lima and UAE’s fourth-ranked player Abdullah Ahli 6-3, while Ruiz and Aljanahi defeated Paquito Navarr/Salem Alhouli by the same margin.
World Padel League, the Greatest Show on the Court, offers a total prize fund of Dh826,000. The champions will receive Dh550,000, while the runners-up will be awarded Dh275,000. The prize money is a reflection of the league’s commitment to promoting and rewarding excellence in the sport of padel. Each team will play men’s doubles, women’s doubles and a mixed doubles games of one set each.
Schedule
Day 2 — June 9
2pm: Cheetahs vs Jaguars
6pm: Panthers vs Tigers
Day 3 — June 10
2pm: Cheetahs vs Jaguars
6pm: Panthers vs Tigers
Day 4 — June 11:
2pm: WPL Finals
Concerts:
June 9: Simply Red, 9.30pm
June 10: Nicky Romero, 9.30pm
June 11: Mithoon and friends, 7.00pm
Book your tickets now on Coca-Cola Arena’s official website, Platinum List, and Virgin Megastore. Tickets for Day 1 and Day 4 are at a special rate of Dh99 only and a single ticket is for both the padel matches and the concerts on Day 2 and Day 3.