Gulf Times
Second seed Francisco Navarro of Spain and his Argentine partner Martin Di Nenno yesterday created padel history when they beat top seeds Juan Lebron and Alejandro Galan in straight sets to win the inaugural Ooredoo Qatar Major 2022 crown.
Navarro and Di Nenno looked in pristine touch as they beat the seasoned Spanish team of Lebron and Galan 6-3, 7-6 in 89 minutes at the Khalifa International Tennis Complex, the home of tennis in Qatar.
Navarro and Di Nenno, who beat third seed Alejandro Ruiz (Spain) and Franco Stupaczuk (Argentina) on Friday, yesterday won 87 percent points on their serve. The longest point winning streak was 6 for the winners.
“It was a tough match. I thought it was an exciting battle between two good teams. Nobody thought that the outcome of the match would be decided in two sets. We have a great rivalry. I am happy we were able to achieve our goal of winning the title,” Di Nenno said.
“We played the match with great concentration and prepared well as it was the most important match for us in the tournament. We did well against the best players in the world and that gives us huge satisfaction,” he added.
Martin praised the organisation of the tournament, saying: “The tournament was very special for the players. Everybody had a great time here.”
The tournament was organised by the Qatar Tennis, Squash and Badminton Federation (QTSBF).
The champions were crowned by HE Abdullah bin Abdulaziz bin Turki al-Subaie, Minister of Municipality, Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdullah al-Thani, CEO of Ooredoo Qatar, Tariq Zainal, Secretary-General of QTSBF, and Luigi Carraro, President of the International Padel Federation.
Nasser bin Ghanem al-Khulaifi, President of QTSBF, yesterday thanked the sponsors of the tournament and applauded the efforts put in by the Local Organising Committee.
“I want to thank the wise leadership of Qatar for their unlimited support for sports in Qatar. The success of our events is because of the vision and support of the Amir His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani,” al-Khelaifi said.
Al-Khelaifi also thanked HE Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad al-Thani, President of the Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC), and the event partners who contributed in the successful conduct of the five-day tournament.
“We witnessed remarkable levels throughout the tournament and we followed the top ranked players as they contested for the title. We congratulate the winning team of Francisco Navarro and Martin Di Nenno,” al-Khelaifi said.
“I wish the runners-up all success in the future events they feature in,” the QTSBF president said.
“We are witnessing the growth of the sport at a significant rate in Qatar. We are pleased to see so many players taking up the sport with all seriousness. I am also happy to see a number of Qatari players who took part in this tournament,” he added.
Carraro, President of the International Padel Federation, thanked Qatar for delivering a highly successful tournament. “The Ooredoo Qatar Major 2022 was a superbly conducted tournament. From the playing conditions to the facilities presented to the players, everything was top-notch and every player had a great time here,” Carraro said yesterday.
“We are pleased with Qatar’s wonderful hosting of the first round of the championship. I want to thank Nasser al-Khulaifi, the man who first came up with the idea to organize this wonderful tournament,” he added.
“From the hotels to transport to training facilities, everything was superbly carried out by Nasser al-Khelaifi’s organising team,” he said.
Zainal, the Secretary-General of QTSBF, said yesterday: “We are very pleased with the success witnessed in hosting the Ooredoo Qatar Major 2022. This was not an easy task but the LOC did a great job in putting together a memorable tournament. Our Federation has presented an honourable image that reflects Qatar’s leading position as a sports hub in the world.”
“I take this opportunity to congratulate the winners and the runners-up. We witnessed a very high level of competition in the final. The four players regaled padel fans who were present to watch the final,” Zainal said.
Winning finalist Navarro said yesterday: “I would like to thank Qatar for their hospitality as we enjoyed our time playing the tournament. It was a fantastic week of quality paddle action.”