There was British success across the board at last weekend’s third LTA Padel British Tour Grade 1 event of 2024 at Stratford Padel Club.
Chris Salisbury and Alfonso Patacho lifted the men’s title in east London with British no.1 Tia Norton and no.2 Aimee Gibson succeeding in the women’s.
In the men’s draw of 32 pairs, the final saw the second seeds Salisbury and Patacho defeat the top seeds, GB no.3 Louie Harris and Spanish partner Rafael Vega Otaolaurruchi, in an exciting match that finished 6-3 6-4.
After winning his first LTA Grade 1 event of 2024, Salisbury said: “We’ve been on a good run and we were confident. Even though we didn’t feel our best going into this tournament, we have that belief now that we will find a way to get the win. Playing against Louie and Rafa is always a 50/50 chance, but we were lucky to find a way today.”
Top British seeds Tia and Aimee did not drop a set all weekend. In the final, they came up against the third seeds Abigail Tordoff and Hungarian partner Dora Andrejszki and claimed the title 6-4 6-2.
Reflecting on the win, Aimee said: “The final was not easy. Abi and Dora played very fast, and we only found our rhythm in the second set. We will play the Euros together, so this was a good preparation for us as a team. It was really great to get a win on home turf at Stratford Padel Club.”
Anka Mandleson, Stratford Padel Club Director, added: “This was the highest quality LTA Grade 1 we ever hosted in our over five years of existence. It was fantastic for us to see a very high quality women’s final, while the level in the main men’s draw was high from the start, with semi-finals and finals pretty tough to call.
“It’s also the first major tournament we hosted since we added four new courts, and having the tournament run across eight of our nine courts made huge difference to players and spectators.”
The competition at Stratford Padel Club was the third of six LTA Grade 1 events to take place across England, Scotland, and the Channel Islands as part of the British Tour, which encompasses the top padel competitions in the UK. Grade 1 events see the very best British players and international competitors competing in standout events, across full weekends, for prize money. Acceptance onto British Tour events is based on players’ LTA Padel Ranking.
