Riyadh P1 Closes Registration: Numerous New Partnerships Among Participants in the First Tournament of the Year

In February, padel enters a new era. Starting in 2024, there is a single professional circuit, a single calendar, and a single ranking. There will be 25 tournaments making up the Premier Padel Tour under the governance of the International Padel Federation. The season opener, the Riyadh P1, has already closed its registration period.

161 pairs registered, but only 116 will play

Naturally, the best players in the world will not miss the event. The top seeds will be present at a tournament that has received a multitude of participation requests. A total of 161 pairs have registered for the tournament, although 45 of them have been left out.

In the men's category, 72 pairs are registered, with a main draw consisting of 40 pairs (3 of them wildcards) and a qualifying phase with 32 pairs (2 of them wildcards). Additionally, the tournament has a waiting list of 34 pairs. In total, 108 men's pairs decided to sign up for the first Premier Padel event.

In the women's category, the main draw consists of 28 pairs (1 of them wildcard), while the qualifying phase is formed by 16 duos (1 of them wildcard). Furthermore, the waiting list has 11 pairs who, in principle, will have to wait until the next tournament to play.

Many new developments among the registered pairs

As is well known, the new season has brought major changes among the circuit's top pairs.

In the men's category, it’s worth noting that the three pairs who fought for most of the titles remain together, including Ale Galán and Juan Lebrón, who were rumored to be splitting up. The Spanish pair will be the number 1 seed at the Riyadh P1, followed by Arturo Coello and Agustín Tapia, and Franco Stupaczuk and Martín Di Nenno. Serving as the number 4 seed in the Riyadh draw is the first major novelty: the partnership of Paquito Navarro and Sanyo Gutiérrez.

Other new additions 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, as in the men's, the top three pairs in the ranking have stayed together. Paula Josemaría and Ari Sánchez will be the number 1 pair, followed by Bea González and Delfi Brea, and Gemma Triay and Marta Ortega. Appearing as the fourth seeds is one of the big new developments: Ale Salazar alongside Tamara Icardo.

As pair number 5, we have Virginia Riera and Sofía Araújo, who will play together once again. Similarly, Jessica Castelló and Claudia Jensen (pair 6) are reunited. Aranza Osoro and Vero Virseda will start from the seventh position, while Victoria Iglesias and Bárbara Las Heras will do so from the eighth spot.

When does the Riyadh P1 start?

The tournament will begin on February 24th with the first matches of the qualifying phase. The main draw will not start until two days later, on February 26th. Therefore, the countdown for the return of the world's best padel has already begun. Only 19 days to go!