1st International Padel Congress

The 1st International Padel Congress will be held in Madrid the 16th & 17th December 2011.

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UK boys with the Mexican girls.

The under 14´s were the first match up. Alex Tom and Tom Lynk were to play Xavier Fernandez and Joao Sousa, the same couple they had lost to in the 3^rd set just the other day. Our boys were determined to win this time. They started very strong in the first game everything seemed to be working. Then the Portuguese got stronger and more confident which led to lack of concentration and more unforced errors on our side. The set went to the Portuguese with a score of 6/1 . In the second set Alex and Tom were down 4/1 when they regained their true game and confidence to win 3 games in a row.  Would they be able to pull the match around? They had the will but this time that just wasn´t enough. They lost 6/1  6/4. Their final match at the World Championships was over but they knew that they had given their all throughout the tournament and German told them just how proud he of them. ( It actually cannot be said in words just how proud their parents were … some had been so nervous during the matches they  could not even keep scores…!!!)

On  court 2 Andy Lynk and Danny Bristow had it much easier . They were were up against the same couple as last time, Joao Fernandez and Joaquim Campos,which they had beaten 6/0  6/1  two days ago. The situation on court turned out to be extremely similar to last time´s. Andy and Danny were more than confident than ever and demonstrated great play right from the first point.  As always they were calm , played clever and were extremely fair with each other as well as with their opponents. After less than an hour of play these UK boys had brought home yet another fantastic victory winning 6/0  6/2. Fantastic work guys !  You really deserved it ! It is this couple that has, without any doubt, improved the most during this week. They had become one during the matches and a good example on and off court for everyone.

UK and Uruguay

Now it was 1 to 1 after the first two matches. Everyone went over to the center court to support their 3^rd couple, Charly Ferguson and Franky Langan. On Thursday these two UK lads had won 3/6  6/4  6/3 in a really tight and nerve wrecking match. As it turned out , this one would be very similar but with a different ending. In the first set Charly and Frank  did not really seem comfortable nor confident on court. The opponents took advantage of that and took the set  6/2.  There was a definite need for a change in tactics in the second set. German knew what they needed to change and Charly and Franky listened attentively as he talked to them during the change over , then got back on court and to win the second set 7/5. Now the pressure was on both sides of the court , the adrenaline was flowing and everyone was more than nervous. The crowds were cheering loudly for both teams trying to motivate their players.  It was a good last set filled with lots of emotions both on and off court . At the end the Portuguese were stronger and took the match 6/2 .

So this time Portugal had beaten the UK 2 to 1 which left them in 5^th place overall. It was the 6^th for our UK team.  Achieving a 6^th place in the World Championships was an achievement they could all be very proud of . Not only had they been the first UK junior team ever to play in World Padel Championship but they were also taking home their two team victories, against Portugal and Uruguay . On top of that their padel had improved throughout the matches and everyone would return home with lots of fine memories. New friendships had developed with kids from all around the world . All our boys were now also more motivated than ever to train even harder back home in order to be able to participate in the next World Championships in two years time.

Drying the courts.

To finish off the day and the championship the whole team and those parents who had not yet left Melilla headed over to the “El Fuerte Club” to have lunch and watch some of the finals which were to be played that afternoon. Incredible matches were already watched before it came to the boys´ finals in the team competition. It was between Argentina and Spain, as everyone had predicted right from the beginning. Without any doubt those two nations have by far the strongest teams and were play in a level of their own . At the end of the first set of the under 16´s it suddenly started pouring down with rain and the match had to be stopped.  The Argentinian and Brasilian teams used this opportunity to perform some amazing rain dances. They were jumping and dancing around like crazy and singing songs while getting completely soaked ( what no one seemed to care about…) It was such a happy scene !

When the downpour stopped after about an hour officials and many voluntary helpers got onto center court to try to dry it with brooms , towels and sponges and , in record time, the match was able to be continued. There were hundreds of spectators cheering and the atmosphere seemed that of a Davis Cup final, just unbelievable. After an spectacular 3 set match the Spanish team were World Champions !!! Emotions were high and within seconds the center court was filled up with hundreds of Spaniards celebrating their champions.

At the prize giving some speeches were held before the players were awarded their trophies and medals . The minute it finished various teams, including the UK , were rushed off by bus to catch the ship at 11pm  back to Malaga . There were also some team members who were taking the plane back.

Frankie

It has been an exciting week for all. Thanks to coach German the team felt safe and comfortable in Melilla on and off court . Many thanks for all he has done for the kids. One must also give him lots of credit for his hard work over the past months with the preparations for this event . At this point he is now completely exhausted but has enjoyed this week tremendously… and, yet but not least, he is soooo proud of his team´s achievement and good behavior throughout the tournament.

Well, the Junior World Championships have come to an end… The autonomous city of Melilla had been a perfect host and the organization had left nothing to be desired for. What a great experience for all !

A present for German

Our UK junior padel team members are now safe at home and surely dreaming of representing their country in many future tournaments.

… And as for me … it has been a real pleasure having had the chance to be part of all of this. Thanks for such a fun time with everyone and for so many amazing padel moments.

This morning started out great for us all as our boys did not have to wake up early. Breakfast was only at 9:30 am and after breakfast they had plenty of time to go into town to stroll around as their next match was only at 4:30 pm. Surprisingly enough being boys they spent their whole time shopping and spending lots of m

Andy Tom, Danny Bristow with the Uruguayan team.

oney,as there were so many bargains to be had.

Everyone met back at the “residencia” around one to get ready to go and have lunch at the “El Fuerte Club” . From there they went straight to the other club in town to prepare themselves for their afternoon matches against Uruguay. German managed to spend at least an hour training with all of them on court and giving them tactical advice for their matches ahead of them.

At 4:30 pm all 3 matches went on court at the same time. In the under 18´s Franky Langan and Charly Ferguson took on Agustin Araujo . Our boys started out amazingly well, with confidence and steadiness. They took the first set 7/5 and lost the second 5/7. The third set was a true battle and full of emotions. The pressure was on both sides and went with serve until 4 all. Then our serve was broken and the opponents took the set and match. It had been a tough match from start to finish it could´ve easily gone the other way.

Charly, Franky and the Uruguayan team.

On the next court the under 16´s Andy Lynk and Danny Bristow played against Alejandro Müller and Salvador Buzik. Andy and Danny dominated the court from the beginning and did not give the opponents any opportunities to break their winning rhythm. Our boys played brilliantly and everyone was commenting how much they have grown and improved during this past week of competition. They are a terrific pair and we expect great things from them in the future. Congratulations to them both!

German watching closely

Ok, and now we talk about the last match on court. In the under 14´s Alex Tom and Tom Lynk took on Diego Toledo and Gabriel Techera. This match was going to be hell and heaven all in one … Boy did we, the team and supporters had to suffer. There was extreme tension between both teams as this match was the deciding one, as the winning team would  go through to the next round.  There were more than a few disputes which had to be resolved by calling the official umpire onto court. The first set went to our team by 7/5, the second set to the Urugayans 6/1. Everything banked on the final set. Our boys took the lead 4/1 , then the rivals came back to 4 all. It was now or never for Alex and Tom to go for the win. They broke the serve and won theirs…..taking the UK team into the next round. How proud , exhausted and emotional they both were. Coach German had led his team yet again to another amazing victory.

Team GB and Uruguayan subs.

This means that tomorrow, Saturday, our team will be playing for 5^th or 6^th place against one more nation….as it turns out it will be again against Portugal.  Wish us luck ! We are confident to beat them but a bit of your luck may help as well.

Tennishead Magazine Article on Padel

It wasn´t exactly a day in Paradise, as Phil Collins likes to sing, but a fantastic day in Melilla.This sunny, cool Thursday morning the junior UK team got up at 8.15 a.m. , had breakfast and then took the bus to the “Fuerte” padel club . Last night´s basketball game had the effect of an energy boost in the boys  and they were psyched up to give it a good fight today. Everyone had that feeling that it would turn out to be a special one. Also coach German  was longing for his first team victory . Today they actually had that chance .But would their wishes come true ?

Alex Tom, Tom Lynk and the Portuguese team.

At 9:30 am the bus dropped the team off at the  “Fuerte Club” and everyone was looking forward to the match at 10:45am which Frankie Batt and Alex Saenz were going to play ,the quarterfinals of the “under 14´s category  of the Open competition. Their opponents would be yet another Spanish team, Manuel Rocafort y José Carlos Gaspar both known for their great padel skills. As it turned out Frankie and Alex seemed already pretty intimidated by their rivals early on in the knock up and, unfortunately, never really got a chance to get into the game. They lost the first set 6/0 and managed to get one game in the second set. Manu and José Carlos were just way too strong for our boys . With this loss everyone from the UK team was eliminated from Open competition.

Lunch time fun

Once the match was over the team went over to the center court  with German to watch an outstanding match played by the no.1 under 18 couple of Spain Alex Ruiz and his team mate Matías against 2 Argentineans. Somehow both the Spaniards as well as the Argentineans seem to have been  born with a padel raquets in their hands. All four players let the game look so smooth and easy and their techniques were just one of its kind. The match was such a pleasure to watch . Everyone enjoyed it tremendously and surely learned a lot from it . As it turned out this match had motivated our boys enormously and they wanted nothing more than bring home a victory today !

After having great chicken, French fries and a fresh mixed salad for lunch at the players canteen, the boys relaxed , played some fun games with team members and various lovely and pretty girls from other countries ( especially our two Frankies always love that time out when they are surrounded by girls !!! ) and got mentally prepared for the afternoon matches. They were going to play a team which was actually “beatable”, the Portuguese.

Finally, after a long time of hanging around the club, the team was called up to go on court to play . All 3 matches went on a the same time which proved to be quite a challenge for coach German as he had planned to be able to advise each pair on their tactics and strategy.

Andy Lynk and Danny Bristow had an easy match . They played Joaquim Campos and Joao Fernandez. The UK boys were in good form right from the beginning and did not leave the Portuguese a chance to get into the game. They dominated the scene from A to Z and the final result reflected just that . After 45 minutes the match was already over and Andy and Danny left the court with a huge smile on their faces. They had beaten the Portuguese  6/0  6/1 .  Well done guys ! You can be really proud of yourselves !

Andy Tom , Danny Bristow and the Portuguese

On the next court Alex Tom and Tom Lynk had a way tougher match in the “under 14´s category”. Their opponents were Xavier Fernandez and Joao Sousa. Both Alex and Tom played a fantastic first set, with long points and great rallies. They were concentrated and confident but had to really fight to win it in the tie break. In the second set the Portuguese played stronger and, just like in the previous set , it came to a dramatic tie break which the Portuguese won after a very crucial bad call by them at 6:6 … Pressure was on both sides in the third set and Tom and Alex played out of their minds. They were extremely nervous and the adrenalin level was higher than ever. Unfortunately the Portuguese managed to pull the match around to win it 6/7 , 7/6, 6/2. Alex and Tom were more than exhausted and disappointed when they lost but had played surely better than ever.( By the way… Alex´s mother Camilla lost her flight back to Malaga that afternoon because she would not have missed that amazing match for her life…and she did not regret it ! )

Franky Langen, Charly Ferguson and the Portuguese

The third match was the “ under 18´s “ on center court . It was Franky Langan and Charly Ferguson taking on Joao Ferreira y Dario Peno. In the warm up the Portuguese did not seem very strong and everyone assumed that it would be a quite easy match for the UK boys. Well, they were all proven wrong as the Portuguese turned out to be like a rubber wall. Their technique and tactics were nothing special but they surely knew how to return EVERY ball hit to them. It was unbelievable how few mistakes they made !  90% they played to Charly and he probably hit more than 300 overheads in that match. It was not until the middle of the 2^nd set that Franky and Charly managed to actually find the winning remedy. They started putting more pressure on the Portuguese and started actually making the points . It was an exciting match in which the UK team showed good skills, patience , clever moves and a real fighting spirit. They deserved their win . The final score was 3/6  6/4  6/3. Great job Charly and Franky !!!!

Now the UK had won 2 out of 3 matches that afternoon which meant that they had won that round against the Portuguese ! Their wishes had come true and they really deserved ! Everyone was so happy. What a good day it had been !  As a treat German took his team out for a Burger King dinner which was a real treat. Back at the “residence” they all only had one thing on their mind : sleep, sleep, sleep….It had been a long day for all, physically and emotionally . Sweet dreams guys !  You are real champs and we are soooooooooo proud of you !

First up were Tom Lynk and Frankie Batt in the under 14s . They had to play Lucas Bergamini and Felipe Matos. These Brazilian boys had a very solid game and were strong right from the first point. Even though Tom and Franky played really well, they did not achieve to win more than one game in each set. The opponents´ volleys and smashes were aggressive and way too effective. Still, the match was enjoyed by all and our lads can be proud of themselves.

The next match was in the under 16s.Charly Ferguson and Franky Langan had an absolute great fight against their opponents Felipe Furghestti and Gabriel Almeida . The points were long and dramatic and Charly and Franky played their best. Lobbing the Brazilians was more than difficult as Gabriel Almeida is 1.95m tall .Their fan club was cheering on the benches and   even managed to initiate the famous “la ola” on the benches. On and off court everyone seemed to really enjoy what was happening.  Charly and Franky  lost 2/6 , 2/6 but got off court knowing they had done the best they could.

Alex Tom & Tom Lynk with the Portuguese

Danny Bristow and Andy Lynk then played  Gabriel Dal´ri and Lucas Venturin in yet another fantastic match. They played clever , seldom rushed their shots and were concentrated at (almost) all times. They made their opponents work very hard for every point but, in the end, t lost the match by 1/6 , 2/6. With a bit more luck the score could´ve been much closer.

After the team competition everyone headed to the “El Fuerte” club for lunch but today not all were able to have a good rest before the afternoon matches of the Open competition.

At 2 pm Alex Tom and Tom Lynk had to be back on court to face the Portuguese Francisco Pereira and Hugo Soarez.  The Portuguese started out quite strong and it was a hard battle for our boys to finally win the first set  6/3. It then seemed that the Portuguese had not only lost the set but also their confidence for the rest of the match which resulted in a second set 6/0 win for Tom and Alex. Congratulations champs !!

In the afternoon the 3^rd round of the Open competition was played…

Charlie, Franky and the Brazilians

The first UK one was played by Danny Bristow and Andy Link. Their opponents were Lucas Campagnolo  and Lucas Bergamini from Brazil. Both Andy and Danny were in top form and surprised their rivals with their extremely good defense. Still the English boys did not manage to take a game off the Brazilians even though most points were long and hard work for both sides of the court. The 2 Lucas´ just proved to be the more experienced tournament players which reflected in their making the points when it really counted.

While that match was going on at the “ Real Club” little Frankie Batt and Alex Saenz were at the other end of Melilla defending themselves against the highest under 14´s of Spain, Fernando Romero y Curro Soriano. Unfortunately our boys did not have a chance against these two fantastic players . Even though they had a lot of deuces and some advantages in their favor, Frankie and Alex were only able to turn one of those cases into winning the game. They lost in two straight sets  0/6 , 1/6 but came off court smiling and saying that they had felt honored to have had the chance to play against these Spanish champs.

Franky Langan and Charly Ferguson were the next ones on court taking on the Mexicans Alejandro Fernandez and Diego Salazar. Our boys started out with a break against them early in the 1^st set and seemed not to find their rhythm. The first set went to the Mexicans 6/2. In the second set the match was much more even and the points got longer and longer. Even though Charlie and Franky managed to go into a lead of 5/2 , the match turned around and was lost by the UK team 7/5 in the second. They almost could have had them ….

Padel mums

Dylan Casciaro and Ivan Gomez played the last match of the day and had an almost impossible task ahead . Their opponents were the Spaniards Cayetano Roquefort y Ernesto Moreno, two very experienced tournament players who are one of the top 4 couples in Spain. The match did not last very long and went to the Spaniards 6/0 ,6/0 .

In the evening all players of the competition were invited, together with their parents & friends, to see a local basketball match which turned out to be a nice event and which took their minds off the padel for at least … an hour.

At 7:50 sharp all our players had to be down for breakfast. Charly Ferguson was named captain the first thing this morning. Congratulations Charly ! The bus picked them up from the sports residence at 8:30 am and took them to the Club de Padel Real . When they arrived the team started warming up on court and did some stretching . Everyone was quite nervous. A real tough 1^st round team competition was lying ahead of them. The opposing team was no other than the world team champion…the Spaniards.

Charly, new UK Junior Team Captain

First on were the under 14´s . Alex Tom and Tom Lynk´s opponents  were absolutely phenomenal and without a doubt unbeatable for our young lads. But , believe it or not, they did manage to win a game !!! Congratulations for that one Alex and Tom !

The following match was the under 16´s. Danny  Bristow and Andy Lynk gave it their all and had truly stunning rallies. After a really slow start and quite a quickly lost first set they managed to build up some confidence in the second and from then on most games went to deuce. Still, the others were way too experienced and strong our boys which then lost the match   1/6, 2/6.

The third team match was played in the under 18´s by Franky Langan and Charly Ferguson. Their opponents were not just really amazing, but already  Pro Tour players! They transmitted pure confidence and dominated throughout the match. How could they beat them ? Well, they couldn´t… but nonetheless they gave it their best shot . 0/6, 1/6 was the final score. Both Franky and Charly had definitely  enjoyed the experience and learned a huge amount from it.

Together with German all our team then took the shuttle bus back to the “El Fuerte Club” where all  players always meet for lunch. This was followed by a few hours of pure relaxation on the lawn of the club where Alex fell fast asleep under the tree and the rest had a long game of trying to hit the bin with a padel ball…This just shows how competitive our team is both on and off the court !

At 5 pm everyone took the shuttle over to the other club where Alex and Tom played their 2^nd round open match against….the Spanish… yet again ! The opponents were Jesús Bochicchio and Miguel Gonzalez García. This match was pretty much over before it really began. Even though our two youngest fought harder than ever the result was inevitably the same as in the morning for them 1/6, 1/6.

Two hours later Andy Lynk and Danny Bristow took on the Spanish top two players Miguel Portellano Salamanca and Juan Lebrón Chinchoa  in their second round of the open at the “El  Club Fuerte”. On center court they truly tried everything they could and did us proud proving that their experience in tennis competition came through , which helped them to persist and have some amazing rallies with the champions. Their final score was 1/6,1/6.

Today´s last match  at the “El Fuerte Club” was the 2^nd round open competition for Franky Langan and Charly Ferguson. Their opponents were argentinian Juan Cruz Belluati and Elias Estrella. It turned out to be an amazing match and our boys played outstandingly. Congratulations to them. Even though they lost 6/1, 6/0 it was a great match and enjoyed extremely by both players and spectators.

Just as Charly and Franky were on court at this club Dylan and Ivan were fighting a match against the Brazilians Gabriel Almerda y Felipe Furghetti on the other side of Melilla at the “Club Real “. Unfortunately their opponents were much better and much more experienced  and Dylan and Ivan never stood a chance of getting into the game. The match resulted in a 6/1, 6/0.

Another day of great day of competition came to an end. Everyone was exhausted  but happy to have been part of it. Tomorrow, Wednesday, German will have to be waking up the “gang” even earlier than today as the matches will already start at 9 am….Get a good night sleep , boys!

UK Junior Team

Tournament poster

Andy Lynk and Dani Bristow

Argentine German Schafer, the UK sport´s director and coach, who has already taken a ladies and men´s UK team to the World Padel Championship in Cancún, México in December of 2010,  has chosen the following players for this important competition:

Under 14´s  : Franky Batt , Alex Saenz, Alex Tom & Tom Lynk

Under 16´s  : Dani Bristow & Andy Lynk

Under 18´s :  Franky Langan, Charles Ferguson, Dylan Casciario & Ivan Gomez

Surprisingly enough, all but one of the players ( Charles ) currently live in the Costa del Sol in Spain and have been training there for years. Charles used to live in Spain and is now studying in the UK. Still, all 10 players are proud UK citizens and just are honored to represent their country in Melilla .

On the evening of Sunday, Oct.16^th 6 members of the team their coach and his partner  boarded a ferry in the port of Malaga , Spain together with the tournaments umpire Fabian Gelibter , members of the Portuguese , Spanish and Italian teams and hundreds of other passengers to head towards the autonomous city of Melilla which is located on the north western coast of Morocco. They arrived early on Monday morning where they checked into the sports residence which was going to be the official players “hotel” for the week. 2 rooms had been prepared for the UK team. The accommodation comprising a 4 and 8 beds to each room… It was by far not the players´ nor  German´s dream hotel…but it would be their “home” for the next week.  The 4 other team members who had not arrived by ferry and most of the parents had reached Melilla by plane and eventually everyone met up at the main tournament location, the” Parque de Ocio y Deporte El Fuerte “, around 11 am of the same morning.

The Fuerte Club turned out to be a beautiful place set on top of the hills of Melilla with 6 first class glass courts and just beside an old fort from the 1600´s. From the moment of arrival the atmosphere was unique. Hundreds of padel players all dressed in the official team outfits of the 8 participating countries, their coaches ,officials, parents and friends were already there and awaiting the opening ceremony .

At 12 am the teams were lined up and presented one by one : Argentina, Mexico, Uruguay, Brazil, Italy, Portugal , UK and Spain. The Argentinians who have come to the championship  with an impressive total of 70 (!!) people were by far the loudest cheering crowd on site . Welcome speeches were held by the presidents of the Spanish and the world padel federation as well as the mayor of Melilla.

Before the first matches of the open pairs competition were to be played on this first day of the event the youngest , cutest and roundest member of the UK team, Franky Batt, had not only  been chosen to be the team´s good luck charm but was also already being chased by various pretty girls from opposing teams …Unbelievable !

That same afternoon the matches started and all UK team members got to compete. In the under 18´s Franky Langan and Charly Ferguson played their best but lost to the experienced Spanish players Iñigo Alegría Vidal and Ignacio Oteo Gorbeo in 2 straight sets, 1/6, 2/6.

In the under 18´s Dylan Casciario and Ivan Gomez followed with their match and had no real chance against the Uruguayan couple Agustin Araújo and Diego Techera, losing it 0:6, 2:6.The opponents were just too good.

The next match played by  Dani Bristow and Andy Lynk  in the under 16´s competition scheduled at the 2^nd tournament´s playing site called “Centro de Padel Ciudad Autónoma de Melilla”, a club with 4 glass courts located about 15 minutes away by car or bus.  Dani and Andy completely dominated the match against the Uruguayans Hector Lauz and Gabriel Techera right from the beginning, won 6:0, 6:0 and hereby became the first junior UK players in history ever to win a match in a junior world championship. What an amazing feeling that was for the two UK boys and for their proud parents!

Back at the “El Fuerte Club” young Franky Batt and Alex Saenz played their first match against Italian Jacobo Alaimo and Gabriele Salvatore and won easily 6:0, 6:2.  A fantastic start to the competition for these two UK boys.

The last UK match was played by Alex Tom and Tom Lynk in the under 14´s category. Their opponents were the Mexicans Sebastian Espejo and Diego Guzman. This match was definitely the most exciting and nerve wrecking match for the UK that day. After playing an amazing first set which, unfortunately, Alex and Tom lost 4:6. They made a weak start into the 2^nd set and at one point  were 1:5 down …but they were not going to give up, instead they put on their turbo and fought back to 5:5 only to lose the match in the tie break.

It has been a long and very exciting day and everyone just longs for a good meal and an even better rest to recharge the batteries for the upcoming day. Tomorrow, Tuesday, the first team match will be played at 9:30 am at the “Centro de Padel Club” and therefore all  need an early night. Surely various team members will be playing matches even in their dreams tonight.