Teenagers bag first LTA win of 2025
Padel prodigies Chloe De La Mare (14) and her partner Rosie Quirk (15) have started 2025 in style, winning their first UK national title of the year.
The teenagers – ranked 7th and 8th respectively in the LTA Ladies rankings – competed in an LTA Grade 2 level tournament (run by Padel Tournaments UK at Rocket Padel, Iford), posting impressive wins against tough adult opposition, with every lady ranked above them playing the event.
The girls made quick work of their first round match before securing an impressive victory over the No 2 seeds Sophie Cousens and Angela Wood, 6-2, 6-3. Their semi final was a similar affair with the youngsters racing to a 6-0, 6-2 victory.
In the finals the girls met the experience of Eloise Tait and Eva Marcus-Newberger. Continuing with the stunning run of form they had shown over the weekend, they took the first set 6-2 and raced to a 2-0 lead in the second. The experience of Ellie and Eva saw them battle back to even the scores at 3-3, before breaking again at 5-4 to take the second set, pushing the final to a 10 point tie-breaker. The girls held their nerve, winning 10 points to 7.
It’s the second Grade 2 victory for Chloe and Rosie, who won a Bristol event early last year in the first tournament playing together, becoming the youngest players ever to win such a title.
Overall 2024 was a sensational year for the girls, both rising to the top ten of the UK adult female rankings and becoming the first GB girls to compete in a FIP Promises event (the junior section of the World Padel Tour). They also reached the quarter-finals of the European Junior Championships and posted an impressive win over the LTA No 1/No 2 Sarah Lochrie and Kerry White.
After training hard over the off season, the new year couldn’t have begun better for Chloe who has her sights set on competing in the Olympics if padel is accepted as an official sport.
Reflecting on the weekend’s success she said: “I’ve been training really hard for the last six weeks with my brother, Liam, since the last competition of 2024. To come here to the first tournament of the year with Rosie and win, and for all the hard work to pay off so quickly, is amazing. My goals for 2025 are to keep training hard and playing competitively with Rosie as much as I can. I would love to get into the GB Ladies squad as soon as I can.” 🎾
