In 2021, Andy Taylor emceed the first World Padel Championship hosted outside of Europe or the Americas. The Qatar Ooredoo World Padel Championship featured nearly 300 professional and amateur athletes representing their nations in team competition. After six thrilling days of Padel action across the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex, both the Men’s and Women’s Teams from Spain stood atop the podium as World Champions.
Undeniably the most accomplished group of talent in Doha, the women’s team from Spain included the top six players in the world, along with the World #8 and World #12. Behind top players Gemma Triay and Alejandra Salazar, as well as veteran Lucia Sainz, Spain captured it’s 4th consecutive and 7th World Championship title overall.
Photo: Samer Al-Rejjal, @samer_alrejjal
The Spanish Men hadn’t won the World Championship title in over 10-years, regularly falling short to juggernauts Argentina – the most successful nation in World Championship history with 10 titles. However, in Qatar – Spain’s strategic player selection paid-off in the championship Tie. Rather than play Ale Galan and Juan LeBron together – the top professional team in the world – Galan played alongside Arturo Coello, while Lebron joined forces with legend Paquito Navarro. Both tandems overcame their top-10 Argentine opponents, capturing Spain’s 4th World Championship title on the men’s side.
Argentina’s men and women finished as runners-up, while the Brazilian men and Italian women each earned Bronze. It was Italy’s first time medaling since the biannual World Padel Championships began in 1992. Meanwhile, the men and women from France came up just short, both falling in the Bronze medal Ties.
Click on the graphics below for a more in-depth, daily look at the 2021 World Padel Championship, delayed a year due to the global pandemic. It’s a tremendous tournament, often pitting amateur against professional – similar to the early days of the Open Era in tennis. However with this event, each talent endures the added pressure and privilege of playing for country.
QATAR OOREDOO WORLD PADEL CHAMPIONSHIP EXPLAINED
The first World Padel Championship staged in Asia, the Qatar Ooredoo World Padel Championship featured a top-shelf production aired globally. Both the Men’s and Women’s fields included 16 national teams, each with 8 players. For most countries, amateurs play alongside and against the sport’s elite.
World Padel Championship Format
A round-robin event, the tournament starts with three days of Group Stage competition. During the draw ceremony, the top four nations from the previous World Padel Championship occupy the top-seeds in each group. Each day includes 16 Ties – 8 Women’s and 8 Men’s – and each Tie features a clash of two nations playing the best 2-out-of-3 matches.
Starting on Day-4 – the Quarterfinals – the top eight teams compete in the winner’s bracket, while the bottom eight teams battle for position in the loser’s bracket. There is no elimination. All teams play each and every day of competition to determine the Final Standings for the next World Padel Championship.
Nations who reach the top-8 earn automatic entry into the next World Padel Championship. In Qatar, the women from Spain, Argentina, Italy and France earned top seeding positions for 2022’s World Championship – while Brazil, Belgium, Germany and Mexico all earned spots in the draw, as well. On the men’s side – Spain, Argentina, Brazil and France will be 2022’s top-seeds, and will be joined by Italy, Paraguay, Uruguay and Chile.
Huge Accomplishment for the State of Qatar
Leading up to this year’s Championship, the men from Qatar went undefeated during Qualifying in Dubai. With their triumph, Doha’s top talents became the first to represent their nation on the sports biggest stage – competing against the world’s finest on their home court.
Though they failed to a win a single set against Belgium, Italy, Brazil, Great Britain, Denmark, or the United States – the team gained valuable experience; and certainly made organizers and their nation proud by rewriting history at the Qatar Ooredoo World Padel Championship.
