BY ALAN THATCHER
SPANISH top seeds Alejandro Galan and Juan Lebron were forced to fend off a ferocious fight from Argentine rivals Federico Chingotto and Juan Tello before winning the Greenweez Paris Premier Padel final at Stade Roland Garros.
Galan and Lebron emerged victorious with a 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 scoreline after a dramatic final set. With the score level at 3-3, the final hinged on the outcome of an incredible seventh game in which Galan and Lebron claimed their big break at the sixth time of asking.
Tello and especially Chingotto, even with his thigh strapped, had covered every inch of their half of the court as the Argentines fought for every point with snarling determination.
That breakthrough put Galan and Lebron 4-3 ahead and they held serve to complete their second victory on the Premier Padel Tour, having finished runners-up in Qatar and gaining their first title in Rome.
They had looked in their comfort zone as they won the opening set but Chingotto and Tello played incredible padel to force errors from their opponents in the second.
But the Argentine pair looked shaken after that sensational seventh game in the third set and were unable to force their way back to trouble Galan and Lebron.
In the final game, with Lebron serving, there were plenty of anxious moments before championship point was reached. As the rally unfolded, Tello struck the back wall before his shot hit the ground and the Spaniards both fell to the floor in relief.
These two rock stars of padel shed tears of joy as they picked up what looked a gold-studded trophy and claimed 47,300 Euros each, highlighting the increased rewards for the top players in a sport that has made so many huge advances so far this year.
During the presentation ceremony on court, Lebron thanked the International Padel Federation, Premier Padel and the French Tennis Federation for staging a spectacular tournament.
He said: “It’s incredible what they have all done to put this tournament on here, and I would also like to thank our team and physios for helping us through the week.
“I must admit it felt very stressful to come here to play at Roland-Garros. It’s such an enormous step forward for padel to be here.
“I want to thank Federico and Juan for such a fantastic match and declare my gratitude to all my family and especially to my sister who has just given birth to her third child recently. I dedicate this victory to her.”
Lebron then broke into tears and handed the microphone to Galan, who added: “It is so wonderful to be here in Paris and thanks to everybody for having the vision to make this happen. It’s so special to have padel here at Roland Garros.
“Congratulations to the FIP and Premier Padel, and thanks to the French Tennis Federation for allowing us to play here.
“It feels amazing to win here at Roland-Garros and if someone had said this to me in the past, that we would be playing padel here, I would not have believed it.”
When asked about that brutal phase of the third set, he added: “Yes, that seventh game was incredible. Chingotto and Tello made it difficult for us, and we maybe were a little nervous to play here on this court, but in the third set it was our will to win that made the difference.
“Getting that break was so important and after that we were confident we would win.”
At the end of the match both players hugged each other, then their opponents, and kissed the floor of the temporary padel court set up on Court Philippe Chatrier.
Lebron explained: “We kissed the court because it was a very emotional moment for us. We were remembering all the work we did to get here and we want to thank everybody who has supported us.
“Chingotto and Tello are amazing players and now it’s time to enjoy the moment and to be reunited with our families to celebrate this incredible occasion.”
The Argentines were gracious in defeat and Chingotto also thanked all the federations in his speech on court during the presentations.
These two have been playing together since 2015 and Tello added: “We have had a great time in Paris. It was so special to play here at Roland-Garros and I would like to thank Lebron and Galan for such a great match.”
The Paris heatwave restricted the crowd to fewer than 5,000 but there was still plenty of noise all afternoon.
With the match screened by more than 100 broadcasters, including a live broadcast on Sky Mix in the UK, staging the tournament at such an iconic sporting venue was a huge step forward for the game.
In total, 56 teams were entered in the main draw of the Greenweez Paris Premier Padel Major for a total 55 matches played in the main draw.
This first-ever edition of the Greenweez Paris Premier Padel Major proved to be a huge success, both in terms of sport and in terms of spectator numbers. This week, 25,000 spectators came to Roland-Garros stadium to attend the largest padel tournament ever held in France. They were able to learn more about the sport in a friendly and lively atmosphere, as well as seeing Roland-Garros stadium in a different layout.
For this event, six padel courts were set up on Philippe-Chatrier court and Courts 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6. The event also enjoyed great television coverage. From the Round of 16 right up to the final, the Canal + group broadcast all of the matches on its channels.
Gilles Moretton, President of the FFT, announced: “The French Tennis Federation organised this first Major on the courts of Roland-Garros stadium, providing outstanding playing conditions for the world’s top players. What better way to promote this rapidly-developing sport, which has ever more players in France, in clubs and worldwide.
“We are proud to have been the trailblazers. This event is a fantastic catalyst for further developing padel in France and ties in with what we have put in place as part of our padel mission. This first edition shone a spotlight on this spectacular, physical and skilful sport and encouraged people to give it a try.”
Arnaud Di Pasquale, Director of the Greenweez Paris Premier Padel Major, declared: “At this first edition of the tournament, our aim was to introduce people to padel as well as showing a different side to Roland-Garros stadium. Our gamble paid off. The spectators who came to the Porte d’Auteuil this week were delighted with the experience.
“They were able to see the world’s best players in action and realised how spectacular the discipline is. This event was an outstanding showcase for padel. I would like to encourage everyone to come next year to watch the second edition of the Greenweez Paris Premier Padel Major!”
Padel is the second most popular sport in Spain, Argentina and Italy (behind football, of course) and the numbers are growing steadily in France. Spectacular events like this can only raise the profile of a game that has its sights firmly set on the Olympic Games.
Madrid and the Argentine city of Mendoza are the next Premier Padel Majors on the circuit, followed by Monterrey in Mexico later in the year.
As the players packed their bags, a backward glance might have coincided with a nod of thanks to the billionaire controlling Paris St Germain football club, who is responsible for launching Premier Padel and plotting a course for the sport to hit the big time.
The 47-year-old Qatari Nasser Al-Khelaïfi, the chairman and CEO of PSG, is chairman of beIN Media Group, who have negotiated a breathtaking array of TV deals, and also chairs Qatar Sports Investments, who have bankrolled the whole series and development programme.
A former professional tennis player, Al-Khelaïfi is the president of the Qatar Tennis, Squash and Badminton Federation. He must be pleased with the project’s progress so far.
Additional reporting: Thanks to Albert Rimbau and Luis Lazarich.
Pictures courtesy of Premier Padel.
Official Tournament website
