International Padel stars take home titles at the FIP Rise Rocks Lane
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Rocks Lane, Chiswick hosted the first British International Padel Federation (FIP) Rise event of 2024 over the weekend.
The competition showcased the elite level of the sport currently taking Britain by storm, with the very best British and international players taking to the courts.
FIP Rise events are part of an international tour of competitions, the Cupra FIP Tour, with players competing from all over the world for prize money and ranking points. The event at Chiswick’s Rocks Lane, was the first of three FIP RISE events to take place in Great Britain this year.
There was Spanish success in the women’s draw with a final that saw four Spaniards compete for the title. Second seeds Ana Varo Ramos and Lorena Alonso De Lera came through in three sets to overcome the fifth seeded pairing of Natividad Lopez Diaz and Laura Lujan Rodriguez 6-7(4), 6-2, 6-3.
Reflecting on her win, Alonso De Lera said “I am very happy to win this FIP tournament in London. This tournament there were many good teams, and it was very difficult. We played 5 matches, and some were very complicated. However, we knew how to compete and adapt to the track and conditions, and we managed to win. This year I am going to try to play the premier tournaments and some FIP tournaments, scheduling the dates well.”
In the round of 16, the Spanish team defeated Brits Catherine Rose and Victoria Nicholas 6-0, 6-2. “We lost to the eventual winners of the tournament in the second round”, said Nicholas “We were disappointed that we weren’t able to find our level but it was great experience to play against such strong opposition in front of a home crowd.”
In the men’s draw, the Italian unseeded pairing of Flavio Abbate and Giulio Graziotti comfortably defeated the fourth seeds, Simon Vasquez and Alvaro Montiel Caruso 6-2, 6-3 to win the title.
“Winning a tournament is always fantastic but winning one so important and of a level makes me even happier. I am very excited and very happy with everything we are doing with Giulio and our team,” said Abbate.
“Coming here to London is always beautiful, last year I had already come and I had a great time. The club and staff are available, and I hope to return as soon as possible! The plans for the future are to continue playing the FIP tournaments and climb the standings until I can play the premier padel circuit.
Emma Davis, Communications Director at Rocks Lane reflected on the success of the tournament, saying: “British players revelled in the support of their ‘home’ crowd as Rocks Lane Chiswick played host to 200 high-calibre international players at the FIP RISE event over the Easter weekend.
"The five-day international padel tournament was a great collaboration between the whole Rocks Lane Chiswick team, and I would like to congratulate all the winners.”
View the full results of the tournament below:
