France has beaten Italy 2/1 on an exciting final day of competition to win the inaugural Padel Nations Cup.
The French exacted revenge for a defeat earlier in the week during the round-robin stage of the competition to outlast the favourites in a thrilling final mixed doubles tie. Julien Maigret & Benjamin Taison gave the French an early lead thanks a tight two-set win over Daniele Cattaneo & Simone Cremona, 7-5 7-6. Italy’s ladies’ pair of Chiara Pappacena & Giulia Sussarello then levelled the score, sensationally reversing a straight forward defeat on Thursday to concede just two games in a 6-1 6-1 rollover of Lea Godallier & Melissa Martin.
The stage was set for a deciding mixed doubles match which didn’t disappoint the fans as Martin & Taison fought back from a set down to eventually outlast Cremona & Sussarello 3-6 6-3 6-4.
Spain claimed the bronze medal position with a 3-0 win over the team from the host nation. A total of seven European nations sent teams of top Padel players to the competition, which was organised by the Royal Dutch Lawn Tennis Association in collaboration with Tennis Europe.
The tournament was the centrepiece of a myriad of Padel-related activities organised by the KNLTB throughout the week, including clinics for junior and senior players, a Padel coaching conference for licensed tennis coaches from the Netherlands, and a festival atmosphere in the city of Nijmegen, where a Padel court was specially erected in the city centre, allowing maximum exposure to the sport and its players.
Final Standings
1. France, 2. Italy, 3. Spain, 4. Netherlands, 5. Belgium, 6. Greece, 7. San Marino
For full results from the tournament, click here.