In February, padel enters a new era. Starting in 2024, a single professional circuit, a single calendar, a single ranking. The Premier Padel Tour, comprising 25 tournaments under the governance of the International Padel Federation, has closed the registration period for the season opener, Riyadh P1.
161 pairs registered, but only 116 will play
Naturally, the world's best players won't miss the event. The top seeds will be present in a tournament that received numerous requests to participate. A total of 161 pairs registered for the tournament, but 45 of them didn't make the cut.
In the men's category, 72 pairs are registered, with a final draw of 40 pairs (including 3 wildcards) and a qualifying phase with 32 pairs (including 2 wildcards). The tournament also has a waiting list of 34 pairs. In total, 108 men's pairs have decided to join the first Premier Padel event.
In the women's category, the final draw consists of 28 pairs (including 1 wildcard), while the qualifying phase has 16 pairs (including 1 wildcard). Additionally, the waiting list has 11 pairs who may have to wait for the next tournament to play.
Many novelties among the registered pairs
As is well known, the new season has brought significant changes among the top pairs on the circuit.
In the men's category, it's worth noting that the three pairs that have competed for the majority of titles remain, including Ale Galán and Juan Lebrón, who were rumored to potentially split. The Spanish pair will be the top seeds at Riyadh P1, followed by Arturo Coello and Agustín Tapia, and Franco Stupaczuk and Martín Di Nenno. The first major novelty in the Riyadh P1 draw is the pair of Paquito Navarro and Sanyo Gutiérrez, seeded fourth.
Other novelties among the men's pairs include Fede Chingotto and Momo González (pair 5), Fernando Belasteguín and Lucho Capra (pair 6), and Mike Yanguas with Javi Garrido (pair 10).
In the women's draw, similar to the men's, the top three pairs in the ranking remain unchanged. Paula Josemaría and Ari Sánchez will be the top pair, followed by Bea González and Delfi Brea, and Gemma Triay and Marta Ortega. The fourth-seeded pair is a significant novelty, Ale Salazar with Tamara Icardo.
As the fifth pair, we have Virginia Riera and Sofía Araújo, reuniting to play together again. Jessica Castelló and Claudia Jensen also reunite as the sixth pair. Aranza Osoro and Vero Virseda start from the seventh position, while Victoria Iglesias and Bárbara Las Heras begin from the eighth spot.
When does Riyadh P1 start?
The tournament kicks off on February 24 with the first matches of the qualifying phase. The main draw will start two days later, on February 26. Therefore, the countdown to the return of the world's best padel has already begun. Only 19 days to go!
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