London P1: Calvo-Fernández make history as Coello-Tapia reclaim the throne at Olympia
Martina Calvo, aged 18, becomes the youngest champion in Premier Padel history alongside Claudia Fernández. Coello and Tapia claim their eighth title of the season in a near two-hour final against Chingalán.
Redacción PalaComparer · · 4 min read
Professional padel's debut in the United Kingdom could not have had a better ending. The London P1, the first Premier Padel tournament held in the British capital, crowned two history-making pairs this Sunday at the iconic Olympia London in Kensington, with 20,000 fans packing the venue throughout the week.
Calvo and Fernández: youth takes charge
The women's pair of Martina Calvo and Claudia Fernández made history by becoming the youngest duo ever to win a Premier Padel tournament. Calvo, at just 18 years, one month and four days old, entered the record books outright as the youngest player to lift a title on the circuit.
In the final, the Spaniards defeated world No. 1s Gemma Triay and Delfi Brea in straight sets, 7-5 and 6-3, in one hour and 45 minutes. It was the perfect revenge after losing to the same opponents just a week earlier in the Pretoria P1 final.
The road to the final was not easy. In the semifinals, they got past world No. 2s Bea González and Paula Josemaría in straight sets (6-2, 6-4), repeating their Pretoria feat. They have only played two tournaments together and already have two finals under their belt: two out of two.
Coello and Tapia: eighth title of the season
In the men's draw, Arturo Coello and Agustín Tapia returned to winning ways after their streak was broken in Pretoria, where they fell in the semifinals. The world No. 1s defeated Alejandro Galán and Federico Chingotto by 6-3, 5-7 and 7-5 in one hour and 51 minutes of epic padel.
It was the thirty-ninth meeting between the two best pairs in the world, with 26 wins for Coello-Tapia, who have also now won five consecutive clashes against Chingalán. The deciding set was resolved by a single break in the twelfth game, when a Chingotto lob sailed long and the No. 1s sealed the title.
Padel conquers the United Kingdom
The tournament confirmed padel's international appeal. With 20,000 spectators filling the Olympia London stands over the course of the week, the first British edition made it clear that the racket sport has taken root in a market that until now belonged to tennis and squash.
British No. 1 Medina Murphy was the big local attraction and shone in the main draw in what the circuit described as a historic debut. The event became an unprecedented sporting and social occasion for padel in the country.
Prize money
The London P1, as a P1 category tournament, distributed a total prize money pool of €479,068. The men's champions (Coello and Tapia) earned €25,500 each, while the women's champions (Calvo and Fernández) received €17,000 each.