Dubai: Arturo Coello and Agustin Tapia emerged champions in the men’s tournament while Bea Gonzalez and Delfina Brea Senesi took the top honours in the women’s event of the inaugural Dubai Premier Padel P1 on Sunday.
Sheikh Mansoor Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Sports Council, crowned the men’s and women’s champions at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium that saw a thrilling week of action featuring world’s top male and female players contesting a prize pool of Dh1.89 million.
Sheikh Mansoor highlighted Dubai’s status as a premier global hub for sporting events and noted that the championship’s success reflects Dubai’s advanced infrastructure and supportive regulatory environment, reinforcing its role in developing sports locally and internationally with the full backing of the leadership.
Thrilling final
Coello and Tapia clinched the men’s trophy in straight sets with a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Federico Chingotto and Alejandro Galan after a thrilling final match in front of a passionate crowd of more than 5,000 spectators.
Having racked up 30 consecutive match wins on the way to Dubai victory, World No 1 Coello said: “We keep focusing on every challenge one by one and the wins keep tallying up. We are aware that every match is difficult, so we just try to keep focus on every match. It feels fantastic to win in Dubai — a special city and special tournament.”
Meanwhile, Gonzalez and Brea Senesi reigned supreme in the women’s draw with a 6-2, 6-3 straight sets victory.
Gonzalez admitted she was surprised with her consistently high-performance levels in Dubai after a recent period on the sidelines. “It was unexpected to play at this level, especially so soon after returning from injury,” said Gonzalez. “It has been a long period of recovery, which has meant a lack of competition, so I’m very happy for Delfina and myself to win this tournament.
“We thank Sheikh Mansoor for both his patronage and for his unwavering support of padel in Dubai,” said Sheikh Saeed Bin Maktoum Bin Juma Al Maktoum, UAEPA President. “In addition to congratulating our champions, Arturo, Agustin, Bea and Delfina for their historic and dramatic success at the debut of Premier Padel in Dubai, we hope this milestone event will serve as another springboard to encourage the next generation of homegrown champions to pick up the sport.”
World class event
Saeed Mohammed Hareb, Secretary General of the Dubai Sports Council, said: “In a city renowned for hosting major international sporting events, the Dubai Premier Padel P1 has established instant credentials as a truly world-class event in every metric. Bringing the world and region’s best male and female players to Dubai only serves as a catalyst for the prosperity of our society and the growth of the sport in the emirate — congratulations again to Premier Padel, our champions, the organisers, and to Dubai.”
Ivan Modia, Dubai Premier Padel P1 Tournament Director and CEO of Gallop Global, said: “We thank our patron Sheikh Mansoor and the UAE’s visionary leadership for their relentless work in championing the UAE’s sports sector. Gallop Global remains steadfast in our commitment to bring Premier Padel and other world-class events here for many years to come — Dubai deserves to see world-class champions such as Arturo, Agustin, Bea and Delfina, and these players deserve to play in Dubai.”
