There was British success across the board at the LTA Padel British Tour Grade 1 tournament at Stratford Padel Club in London last weekend.
In what was the fifth of a series of seven LTA Grade One events this year, second-seeded pair Victoria Nicholas and Claire Smith were victorious in the women’s competition.
In an all-British final, they faced compatriots Sophia Haine and Lisa Phillips, coming through 6-4 6-3 to take the title.
The pair said: “The final was really fun, really close. The level is improving, new faces coming up at every tournament, which is great for the sport.”
Aimee Gibson, who had won the year’s previous four Grade One titles alongside Tia Norton and Catherine Rose, was unable to continue her clean sweep as she was training in Alicante.
In the men’s event, the British No.2 and No.3 ranked players respectively, Sam Jones and Louie Harris, saw off Spanish opponents Alvaro Pecos and Rafael Vega with a comprehensive 6-2 6-4 victory.
The victorious pair said: “It was a great experience to play against players coming from Spain. It’s always great to come back to London to play and to come up with a win makes it so much better!”
Anka Mandleson, Stratford Padel Club co-owner said: “With every LTA Grade One tournament we see the level of competition getting so much higher, with Spanish players coming to compete in London and new names entering entering the qualifiers.
“We routinely get over 120 players competing in the Grade One at our club and this weekend was no different. This is great for the sport and always a pleasure to host such amazing matches at Stratford Padel Club.”
