World Padel Championship prize pool reaches €500,000

Padel, the fastest-growing racquet sport on the planet, has made history in Dubai this month, amassing a prize pool of €500,000 for the World Padel Championship.

The biennial International Padel Federation (IPF) tournament was held earlier this month on refitted and customised courts at Dubai Duty-Free Tennis Stadium.

With the UAE’s multinational logistics company DP World as the official title sponsor, the IPF incentivised professional padel players with half a million Euros. Intended to help grow an appreciation for padel in both the UAE and internationally, the sponsorship attracted some of the biggest teams in padel, including big hitters Spain and Argentina.

Spain and Argentina have dominated the sport as the only two winners of the championship since the inaugural edition in 1992. The two powerhouses of the game squared off in a pulsating men's final at the packed 5000-capacity stadium. Argentina prevailed over rival Spain 2-1 to lift the title. With the victory, Argentina also secured their 11th overall World Championship crown and gained sweet revenge after losing to Spain in last year’s final in Doha.

Reigning world number one Juan Lebron and Francisco Navarro put Spain ahead after coming from behind to beat Argentina’s Federico Chingotto and Agustin Tapia 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 in the first set. Argentina’s Franco Stupaczuk and Martin Di Nenno defeated Spain’s Arturo Coello and Alejandro Galan 6-3, 6-2 to level the match. Argentina’s Fernando Belasteguin and Sanyo Gutierrez won the decider by outlasting Spain’s Alex Ruiz and Momo Gonzalez 6-4, 5-7, 6-3.

The UAE men’s national team made its debut on home turf with an eight-man squad representing the Arabian Gulf, and the championship also featured separate women’s categories,