Chris Salisbury and Alfonso Patacho warmed up nicely for next week’s FIP Bronze event in London by winning the LTA Padel British Tour Grade 1 title at Stratford Padel Club last weekend.
After claiming an LTA Padel National Tour Grade 2 title in March, Salisbury and Patacho continued their winning streak in domestic competition by comfortably overcoming the top seeds Louis Harris and Rafael Vega 6-3 6-4 in the final.
“We’re super happy,” said Salisbury. “That was by far our best performance in the tournament. We knew we had to play near our best to win this match because we were playing against two such good players. We managed to raise our game, and Alfonso played so well in that. It’s amazing to win in our first Padel TV tournament as well.”
Patacho added: “The key to playing so well was the pressure of being in the final, and that when we got there, we just wanted to enjoy ourselves. It looks like my partner did as well, because what a performance!”
In the women’s draw of 32 pairs, the final saw recent FIP Bronze Kuala Lumpur champion Abigail Tordoff and Hungarian partner Dora Andrejszki take on the second seeded pairing from Denmark Simone Alipieva and Gitte Haxen.
It was the Danes who claimed the title winning 7-6 4-6 6-0. Alipieva said: “It was an amazing match. Before we started, we knew it was going to be 50-50. Our opponents are really good players, so we were really looking forward to a tough match.
“You will definitely see us back in the UK at the FIP tournaments, for sure. The tournament was very nice, very well organised, and people were watching the finals. It was a very tough match to play, and they found some very high level in the second set. I’m so happy.”
Kris Dymond, tournament referee, said: “We knew this was going to be a strong event. For the men’s draw, we had 17 pairs with a FIP world ranking, and for the ladies, there were nine, so the depth is increasing. There were also 19 nationalities represented, including South Americans, Europeans and others such as Uzbekistan and Bahrain.
“Thanks to the support of Stratford Padel Club, the physios, the broadcasters [Padel TV] and sponsors for putting their time, resources and expertise into the event. We are able to showcase padel to a larger, and more increasingly knowledgeable, audience than before. I encourage interested spectators and players to seek out more events coming this year, and more clubs are opening in new parts of the country, too.”
Javi Fernandez, founder of Stratford Padel Club, said: “We are proud that everyone keeps coming here to play, and that we host this type of tournament, and are at the forefront of the sport in the UK. We have another Grade 1 and a FIP Silver event later in the year. We have great personalities working here. I love them, they do it all.
“It’s a big responsibility to bring people here, because it’s like inviting people to your house, and you need to perform and keep everything in check. It’s great for the sport that we have now have professional streaming on Padel TV. It’s made a big difference.
“To Chris and Alfonso, you keep winning here. We’re going to have to name one court after you! Whenever I face these guys in a tournament, I know I can go home early! The ladies’ final was absolutely bonkers. They had everything: finesse, power and strength.”
The competition in East London was the second LTA Grade 1 event of 2025 to take place across England, Scotland, and the Channel Islands as part of the British Tour, which encompasses the top padel competitions in Great Britain.
Brits will be back in action on home soil next later this month at the FIP Bronze HOP London Padel Open, at The Padel Hub in Whetstone.
