British padel heads to Bristol for groundbreaking R3 event
Landmark padel tournament in Bristol
The UK’s biggest padel tournament to date is underway in Bristol, with almost 200 international and British players and some 600 spectators heading to Rocket Padel for what is expected to be a fantastic five days of high level padel action.
The FIP Silver R3 Bullpadel Cup started yesterday (Wednesday) with qualifying rounds. British hopes Ethan Bardo/George Weller and ‘PadelTwinz’ Luke and Cameron Gomes amongst 16 Brit players in the men’s qualis hoping to win places in the main draw, which starts on Friday.
The tournament is the first British FIP (International Padel Federation) event of the year and the highest level of professional padel to be seen in this country, with a massive €18,000 prize pot up for grabs. It runs alongside a junior FIP Promises competition (Saturday & Sunday only) which features a large number of up-and-coming young British players.
This is the highest standard professional event the UK has ever seen – with the highest prize money on offer and an international standard of play that’s never been brought here before.
Sam Kemp, R3 Managing Director
In the FIP Silver, thirty two pairs are contesting each of the men’s and women’s draws, with both top GB and international players taking to the courts – player lists and full details of the draw are on the FIP website.
In the women’s, 15 British players are competing, including GB No 3 Tia Norton (the highest British seed) and fellow GB players Lisa Phillips and Abigail Tordoff. GB No 1 Aimee Gibson and No 2 Catherine Rose are missing the tournament to participate in the Ooredoo Qatar Major, where they will play in the qualifiers.
In the men’s, British No 1 Christian Medina Murphy is one of nine GB men (including Sam Jones, Nikhil Mohindra and Louie Harris) in the main draw with more to potentially come through the qualifying rounds. Main draw wildcards have been awarded to Brits Alfonso Patacho, Chris Salisbury, Jake Bewley and Theo Garton.
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Padel-TV is broadcasting the event live on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, with multi-camera coverage and commentary. Click here for more information. If you are an LTA Advantage member check for discount offers from Padel-TV. **UPDATE** Padel-TV is offering free trials for the matches.
The event is open to the public – click here for free tickets. Already more than 500 tickets have been issued, making it one of – if not the – largest padel tournament held in the UK to date. In addition to high-level padel, organisers are promising entertainment, street food, interactions with professional players and an activation zone with a range of padel-related companies.
The FIP Silver forms part of the global FIP Tour, with prize money and world ranking points on offer. It is also the opening tournament of the R3 Bullpadel Cup series, which aims to boost the profile of the sport in the UK and enable British players to compete more regularly at home. The cup will be played over a maximum of six events, delivered in conjunction with the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) and FIP, hosted by some of the leading padel venues in the UK and with an overall prize pot of £100,000.
Sam Kemp, R3 Managing Director, said the cup marked a ‘huge’ moment for British padel, adding: “This is the highest standard professional event the UK has ever seen – with the highest prize money on offer and an international standard of play that’s never been brought here before. We’re incredibly excited to showcase this level of padel to fans in GB and give British players the opportunity to compete at this level on home soil. Massive thanks to Rocket Padel and all our R3 sponsors for helping bring this event to life.”
FIP Promises
The junior FIP Promises international competition will feature U18 and U14 categories, underscoring R3’s commitment to developing young British talent. It is the first tournament of its kind in the UK and will launch the R3 Junior Cup, a national series designed to provide a structured competition pathway for emerging British juniors. Winners will be awarded a one-year athlete management contract with R3 Sport.
Jonathan Rowland, co-founder and Chairman of R3 Sport, said: “Bringing FIP Silver-level competition to the UK is a transformative moment for British padel. This is the highest-level international tournament ever staged in this country and it’s just the beginning of what the R3 Bullpadel Cup will deliver for the sport. Players need more opportunities to compete at an elite level and this event will provide exactly that, while also inspiring the next generation through the R3 Junior Cup. We’re excited to partner with Rocket Padel to deliver an event that raises the bar for British padel.” 🎾
