England cricketer Nick Compton and Argentinian rugby legend Juan ‘Chipi’ Figalo were the celebrity winners at Wednesday’s second Pro Am Padel Tour event at the National Tennis Centre.
Eight padel pros and eight celebrities from the worlds of sport, media and entertainment flocked to Roehampton to enjoy a wonderful day of competition, new friendships, glamour and goodie bags.
Ashes-winning cricket captain Michael Vaughan, part owner of The Padel Club in Wilmslow, was named as the men’s Most Valuable Player, with YouTube fitness queen Annie Openshaw bagging the ladies’ prize. Both won a Pro Am Padel Tour polo shirt and a tube of padel balls provided by event sponsors Padel Shack.
The big draw amongst the pros was returning hero Tia Norton, who had barely had time to draw breath after jetting back from Florida where she won the inaugural Pro Padel League trophy with her Las Vegas Smash team on Sunday.
The event included a men’s and a mixed event. Ex-England batsman Compton lifted the men’s trophy in partnership with Welsh wizard Louie Harris. They beat Vaughan and Christian Medina Murphy in the final, avenging a defeat to them in the three-match group stage.
Juan ‘Chipi’ Figallo, the legendary Argentinian prop, partnered with Rafa Vega to win the mixed title, conquering women’s MVP Openshaw and GB international Catherine Rose.
Chipi, who now coaches the women’s first team at Saracens, brought his own celebrity cheerleading squad with him – which featured none other than 2021 Six Nations Player of the Tournament and leading all-time Premiership try scorer Poppy Cleall, plus team-mate Louise McMillan.
Another Saracens star, Sarah McKenna, ended up playing in the tournament, with England squash player Sarah Jane Perry switching from the ‘celeb’ role to become the ‘pro’ in the partnership!
Another celeb who unexpectedly turned from spectator to player was Annie Openshaw’s boyfriend Elliot Burton, a fitness coach with the small matter of almost 600,000 Instagram followers. He couldn’t resist coming on court for a hit.
The winners received a Starvie padel racket generously provided by Pro Am Padel Tour sponsors Padel Shack, plus a PlayBrave jacket.
The other pairings who took part were three-time world and Commonwealth Games squash champion Nick Matthew with Chris Salisbury, Josh Carruthers, lead singer of alt/pop band Flawes, with Sam Jones and Tia Norton alongside ex-England netball captain Ama Agbeze.
All players received a goodie bag which included a range of amazing products from Elemental Herbology, a technical padel t-shirt and cap from PlayBrave, a Budgie Smuggler bucket hat and a £100 Padel Shack voucher.
All rackets and balls were provided by Padel Shack and PlayBrave displayed its new range of padel apparel which drew plenty of attention from the celebs and pros alike.
Elemental Herbology was another sponsor of the event and players enjoyed complimentary treatments with their natural skincare products, including the popular muscle melt balm.
It was an especially big hit with the understandably weary Tia Norton who enjoyed a relaxing knee massage at the end of the day.
The Pro Am Padel Tour’s official charity partner is Rackets Cubed, who combine racket sports, education and nutrition to support children from inner-city communities.
The day’s guest charity partner was the Black Heart Foundation, for whom Michael Vaughan is an Trustee. The organisation is dedicated to breaking down barriers to achievement for under-resourced and under-represented individuals.
