GB internationals Lisa Phillips and Abi Tordoff were the most successful British pairing at last weekend’s FIP RISE HOP London Padel Open at the Padel Hub’s new club in Whetstone.
Lisa and Abi, who were both part of the GB women’s team that finished 10th in July’s European Padel Championships in Sardinia, reached the quarter-finals in north London on Sunday (1 September) and were not far short of achieving a semi-final place.
They took the first set against top-seeded Spanish duo Carla Fernandez and Lorena Alonso de Lera but succumbed to a 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 defeat. That was as good as it got for British padel fans who turned out at the Padel Hub’s shiny new premium venue in north London.
Aimee Gibson and Tia Norton, Britain’s top two female players, could not get past Ivet Val Lopez of Spain and Monaco’s Raluca Sandu (world no.187 and no.164 respectively), going down 6-2, 6-2 in the last 16.
Tia was fresh off the plane back from San Diego, where she was part of the Las Vegas Smash team that took a step closer to defending their Pro Padel League title by winning Event 3, defeating New York Atlantics in the final.
In London, Catherine Rose and Sofia Govorusa lost out 6-2, 7-5 to Italy’s Elsa Terranova and Francesca Ligotti, also at the last 16 stage.
The men’s draw was packed with British pairs – seven of whom were playing in order to gain tour-level experience and were unfortunately double bagelled.
Four all-British male pairs went as far as the last 16: GB internationals Nikhil Mohindra and Sandy Farquharson, Jamie Eccleton and George Weller, Chris Salisbury and Alfonso Patacho and Jake Bewley and Tom Farquharson. All went down in straight sets, as did the highest-ranked GB player in the draw, Louie Harris, who partnered Miguel Martin Cano but lost to the third seeds Gerard Serano and Javier Marquez. Ethan Bardo teamed up with Spain’s Miguel Carrascosa but went down to a French duo.
The second edition of the FIP RISE HOP London Open welcomed a brand new headline sponsor in Alpine UK as well as long-time padel supporters Estrella Damm and Vitamin Well. There were brand stands, an Alpine activation, Estrella bar, food carts and live entertainment.
Check out the full results from the FIP RISE HOP London Padel Open here.
