Tribune News Network
Doha
The previous Doha tournament’s runners-up Spain swept past Mexico in their Men’s Group B opening tie while the reigning champions Argentina beat Italy in Group A on the opening day of the 2024 FIP World Padel Championships at the Khalifa International Tennis & Squash Complex on Monday.
Spain’s 3-0 win was realised by dominanting show of some of the top-ranked padel stars in the world.
In the opening match at Grand Stand 2, World No.5 Juan Lebron and No.9-ranked Miguel Yanguas scored a 6-1, 6-1 win over Arredondo Garcia and Barrientos Garcia in just 35 minutes to take a strong lead.
World No.1 Arturo Coello and No. 8 Francisco Navarro teamed up to crush Amora Hernandez and J Hazouri Celorio 6-0, 6-0 to reassure Spain’s position as a tournament favourite. In the final match of the tie, Alejandro Galan, ranked No. 3, and Alejandro Ruiz wrapped up the clean sweep with a 6-1, 6-0 win over M Montano and J Rangel.
Meanwhile, at Grand Stand 1, Argentina also secured a clean sweep. Argentinian men delivered a dominant performance in their opening Group A match against Italy.
Argentina’s top pair, Agustin Tapia (No.2 in the world) and Federico Chingotto (No.4) put the South American team ahead with a 6-3, 7-5 win despite strong resistance from Italy’s A Patiniotis and L Di Giovanni in a match lasted over an hour.
In the second match, Franco Hernan Stupaczuk (No.7) and Valentino Gabriel Libaak made quick work of R Sinicropi and G Graziotti with a 6-1, 6-0 win as Argentina went 2-0 up.
Martin Emiliano Di Nenno (No. 6) and Leandro Roman Augsburger sealed Argentina’s 3-0 win beating S. Cremona and M. Cassetta 6-4, 7-4.
Earlier, President of the Qatar Tennis, Squash, Padel and Badminton Federation Nasser bin Ghanim Al Khelaifi stressed that Qatar’s hosting of the World Padel Championship 2024 reflects its great commitment to supporting and developing padel sport at the local and international levels.
Al Khelaifi said that the World Padel Championship, hosted by Qatar for a second time, witnesses the participation of the most prominent teams and padel players from different continents of the world, in a true embodiment of the great and increasing popularity that this sport enjoys in all parts of the world.
He added that Qatar seeks, through hosting such tournaments, to become the capital of sports and a model for hosting major sports tournaments in the world, especially in light of its possession of an advanced sports infrastructure and the extensive experience of its cadres in organizing various tournaments.
He continued: "Through this tournament, we celebrate the achievements of Qatari sports and the role that sports play in bringing together the different cultures of the world.”
Al Khelaifi also welcomed all participants, officials of the International Padel Federation and guests of the tournament.
He thanked the International Padel Federation, all the tournament sponsors and members of the organizing committee for their efforts in organizing this global event, wishing success to all participating teams. He also called on the players, both male and female, to adhere to the spirit of brotherhood and sportsmanship that characterizes the promising sport of padel.