Minister of Municipality, H E Dr. Abdullah bin Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Subaie, attended the presentation ceremony of Premier Padel Ooredoo Qatar Major at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex, where Spain’s Francisco Navarro and Martin Di Nenno of Argentina won the inaugural Major title, yesterday. Ooredoo Qatar CEO Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Thani, QSTBF Secretary-General Tariq Zainal and International Padel Federation President Luigi Carraro were also present.
Doha: Spain’s Francisco Navarro and Martin Di Nenno of Argentina yesterday defeated World No.1 Alejandro Galan and Juan Lebron to clinch the inaugural Premier Padel Ooredoo Qatar Major title in Doha.
At the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex, the second seeded pair proved to too good for the top seeded Spaniards as they swept the final with a score-line of 6-3, 7-6.
Navarro and Di Nenno, who never dropped a set during the tournament, conducted by the International Padel Federation (FIP) and Qatar Tennis, Squash and Badminton Federation (QTSBF), backed by the Professional Padel Association (PPA) and Qatar Sports Investments (QSI), yesterday sealed the win in one hour and 29 minutes.
Minister of Municipality, H E Dr. Abdullah bin Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Subaie, CEO of Ooredoo Qatar H E Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Thani, Tournament Director Tariq Zainal and Luigi Carraro, FIP President were present at the closing ceremony.
After losing the first set, the world number 1 for three consecutive years, Lebron and his compatriot Galan put up a great fight in the second set with the hope of stretching the game.
However, Navarro and Di Nenno succeeded in wrapping up the game to clinch the first trophy of the brand new series.
Following the victory, Navarro said: “We knew that we were playing against the number one pair in the world, which is very strong and playing aggressively. I think the first set went well. And in the second they settled down a little more and well, we went on giving it a good fight. So super happy to win the first title of Premier Padel.”
Di Nenno said: “Yes, well, we were very lucky to start the game with an advantage and to have broken away in the beginning. They have a super aggressive game.
They show it every time they play and it cost us a lot because we make base behind. They are always playing very tough games. So I’m super happy. I still can not believe it. We had a great week here in Doha. So now let’s enjoy it because the truth is that this is how it has to be. It is not easy at all to win two tournaments in a row. This is how paddle tennis is. So we are very happy.”
Navarro dedicated the victory to family and fans.
“We want to dedicate the victory to our families, who are sure to be watching us there at home and to all the fans. I hope you have enjoyed it a lot and hopefully this is the beginning of a padel event for many and in all the houses that are seen. The more padel you see, the better for everyone.” Navarro said.
The runners-up, Lebron and Galan congratulated the winners and said they did their best in the final.
“We are very happy to reach the final. We want to congratulate the guys for their win. They played a great match with a high standard,” Galan said.
Galan also praised Qatar for doing an excellent job in hosting the opening round of the Premier Padel Tour.
“We want to thank the wonderful spectators in Doha, (QSI and Qatar Tennis and Squash Federation President) Nasser Al Khelaifi, (Secretary-General of QTSBF and tournament Director) Tariq Zainal and everybody who helped. Thank you.”
