Top padel players from around the world flocked to Whetstone last week for the third annual HOP London Padel Open, as part of the International Padel Federation (FIP) Tour.
The tournament, hosted by Home of Padel (HOP) at Padel Hub in North London, drew competitors from countries including Spain, Italy, and France, with a strong showing from British players too.
In an all-Spanish final, the men’s trophy went to the pairing of Jaume Romera Barcelo and Marcos Gonzalez Blanco, both aged just 19, whilst the women’s title went to the French duo, Jessica Ginier Barbier and Carla Touly.
HOP Co-founder John Leach said: “This is the third year we’ve run the HOP London Padel Open and each year we get bigger and better.
“Padel’s such a fun sport, and it’s still so new in the UK so it’s really important for us to showcase what a great sport it is.”
The event, sponsored by Alpine Cars, Vita Coco, and Fisiocrem, and supported by the LTA, ran from the 21st to the 25th ofMay, and featured food trucks, a live DJ, and hosted by Sky Sports presenter Rob Curling.
The matches were streamed on the subscription service, Padel-TV.
The tournament was particularly important for the British entrants, as selection for the British squad for the Euro Padel Cup is imminent.
The top British men’s pairing of Louie Harris and Alexander Loughlan, UK numbers three and six respectively, reached the quarter finals, where they lost out to eventual finalists, Gonzalez and Marques Berdonce of Spain.
British women’s number three Tia Norton went one step further, making the semi-finals with her Dutch partner, Stephanie Weterings, where they were beaten by the tournament winners.
Norton said: “I always love coming back home and playing in England, and events are only getting bigger and better so it’s really good to see the outcome of this tournament.
“There’s been a lot of British players here so it’s really nice to see the sport growing.”
Leach said: “I think we had about ten pairs of Brits through on the first round, which was a super result for us.
“We’ve seen progression in how far they’re getting into the tournament over the years, so we want to keep providing these tournaments so they get the opportunity to compete with the very best players and improve their padel, which, overall, will improve the level of padel in the UK.”
Padel is one of the fastest growing sports both at home and abroad, with the number of UK courts increasing seven times over between 2020-2023.
The global padel industry is expected to reach USD 447million by 2031, up from 204million in 2024.
Commentator and competitor Christopher Stanford attributes its popularity to the social aspect of the sport, and it’s ease of uptake.
He said: “I would say it’s easy to learn, hard to master, but because it’s easy to learn you can have a twenty-minute introduction and then you’re off and you can have a good game with your mates.”
When asked what message he would give to people considering taking up the sport, Leach said: “Just jump on the court, give it a go.
“There are very few people that I know that have tried padel and not liked it, it’s such an addictive sport.”
Join the discussion