Tia Norton bolstered the international profile of British padel by lifting the inaugural Pro Padel League Cup in Florida on Sunday.
The 19-year-old from Leamington Spa partnered Mexican legend Palila de la Pena in winning the women’s doubles 6-1, 3-6, 6-0 in the Championship Match against Cancun Waves, laying the platform for the Las Vegas Smash men’s doubles pairing to bring home the victory.
As Tia and the Las Vegas Smash team and owners celebrated victory in baking sunshine at the Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center in Tampa, she could begin to reflect on an extraordinary six-week American odyssey.
Perhaps adopting something of a Las Vegan spirit, Tia took a gamble by agreeing to join the PPL. She missed several competitions which will have affected her bid for a world top 100 ranking, and the PPL was also very much an unknown quantity, taking place in a nation where padel is – for now – an almost totally unknown sport, and completely overshadowed by pickleball.
However, the British No.1’s gamble has paid off handsomely. She has proved more than worthy of sharing the big stage with some greats of world padel and the PPL’s first season has been a success.
It’s also just the start of Marcos del Pilar and Keith Stein’s bold project to grow padel in America. At least three more teams are set to join in PPL’s second season and its popularity will only continue to expand.
The profile of the inaugural campaign was turbo-boosted by the presence of Puerto Rican rap sensation Daddy Yankee (not to mention his 48.3 million Instagram followers).
Sunday’s Championship Match will also air tape-delayed on CBS Sports Network in a two-hour programme on 22 June at 7pm ET.
