British No.1 Tia Norton has re-signed with the Las Vegas Smash for 2024 following her stunning Pro Padel League debut in June.
Tia was part of the Las Vegas team which won the inaugural PPL trophy last summer in a spectacular six-week Floridian adventure which she called “a fairytale.”
The 20-year-old from Leamington Spa partnered with PPL MVP Palila de la Pena as the Smash team finished top of the group stage and went on to beat Cancun Wave 2-0 in the final in Tampa, Florida.
Among several big-name team owners from the tennis world, the summer’s event was also supported by internationally renowned rapper Daddy Yankee – aka the King of Raggaeton – best known for his hit Despacito.
Next year, the PPL will expand to eight teams with the addition of the New York Atlantics, who have announced the signing of the legendary 14-time world No.1 Juan Martin Diaz as a strategic advisor.
Tia is already looking forward to rubbing shoulders with more padel legends and showbiz stars next year, but more importantly defending the title which still gives her “goosebumps” to think back to now.
Tia told The Padel Paper: “I had the experience of a lifetime in the summer winning the first ever PPL Cup with Las Vegas Smash and the opportunity to repeat that next year was too good to miss.
“I can’t wait to meet up again with my doubles partner Palila and the rest of the team to begin the defence of our title!”
Meanwhile, as a precursor to next year’s second season, the PPL is hosting its first ever All-Star Game at Taktika Padel in San Diego on 18 November.
The star-studded event will showcase some of the world’s top padel talent as a team made up of elite players from the Eastern Conference (Arkansas, Cancun, Miami, and Toronto) takes on the best-of-the-best from the Western Conference (Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and San Diego).
The All-Star Game will be broadcast live in the States on the Tennis Channel’s free streaming network, T2, from 6:00-9:00 p.m. PST.
“After an exhilarating first season of play for the PPL in 2023, we are excited to end the year with the All-Star Game in San Diego,” said PPL Commissioner, Marcos Del Pilar.
“With Taktika Padel hosting the All-Star Game, it is a great opportunity for fans on the west coast of the U.S. to experience the PPL and see some of the world’s best players compete. We are looking forward to an action-packed day of play that will also be available for fans around the world to watch live on T2.”
Representing the Eastern Conference team will be:
- Cata Tenorio (Arkansas Matrix, four-time World Team champion and former FIP No.1 representing Argentina)
- Nico Agritelley (Arkansas Matrix, PPL 2023 MVP, No.3 ranked player in the U.S.)
- Ruben Rivera (Miami Padel Club, No. 72 FIP ranking)
- Anna Cortiles (Cancun Waves, No. 93 WPT ranking)
Representing the Western Conference team will be:
- Guga Vasquez (Las Vegas Smash, 2023 PPL Team champions)
- Silvana Campus (San Diego Stingrays, current No. 1 ranked Argentinian player and five-time World Team champion)
- Dani Banchero (Los Angeles Beat, former No. 1 ranked Argentinian player and three-time World Team champion)
- Jacob Blanco (San Diego Stingrays, No. 4 ranked player in the U.S.)
The All-Star Game will feature three matches including men’s doubles, women’s doubles and mixed doubles
The men’s and women’s doubles match will be worth three points for each winner, and the mixed doubles match will be worth six points. The conference with the most points at the conclusion of all three matches will be crowned the first PPL All-Star Game winners.
