The FIP Euro Padel Cup, which begins on Monday 7 July at Padel G24 in Madrid, is the renamed and expanded version of the annual European Padel Championships.
New three-phase format
With a record 37 men’s teams and 31 women’s teams entered this year, the competition has now been broken up into three phases, starting with Europe’s minnow nations battling it out in Phase 1 (7-10 July).
The top five men’s and top four women’s teams from Phase 1 then enter Phase 2, which follows on immediately (11-13 July) at the same venue in the Spanish capital. This is where both Great Britain teams join the fray.
Phase 2 is organised into four groups of four, playing a round-robin format. Each tie consists of three matches and all matches will be played even if the third is a dead rubber. Each match is best of three sets. The draw will be made on the evening of Thursday 10 July.
The session times for Phase 2 (where GB begin their campaigns) are as follows
Friday 11 July: Sessions start at 1000 and 1400
Saturday 12 July: Sessions at 1000 and 1400
Sunday 13 July: Final session at 1000
Each of the four men’s and women’s group winners will then qualify for Phase 3, known as The Final 8, which will take place at an as-yet unannounced date and venue later this year. Lying in wait for the four qualifiers from Phase 2 will be the top four seeds — Spain, Italy, France and Portugal.
Men’s preview
Having reached the quarter-finals of last season’s Euros in Sardinia, Great Britain’s men are ranked among the top four seeds in Phase 2 and have already been placed in Group C, thus handily avoiding the other three top seeds Netherlands, Sweden and Germany.
Belgium are probably the most dangerous team in the second pot of seeds and the ones GB would ideally like to avoid in Thursday night’s draw. The other possibilities are Denmark, Poland or Monaco. Then it’ll be Switzerland, Hungary or Croatia from the third seeded pot, plus one of the qualifiers from Phase 1.
GB men’s team: Christian Medina Murphy, Sam Jones, Louie Harris, Nikhil Mohindra, Alex Loughlan, Tom Farquharson, Jamie Lobo, Alfonso Patacho. Captains: Sandy Farquharson and John Leach
Denmark-based Scotsman Alex Loughlan, ex-tennis pro and renowned The Padel School coach Tom Farquharson and Spain-based Jamie Lobo all make their GB debuts.
Women’s preview
As GB’s women finished 10th at the last Euros they will be in the second pot of seeds in Thursday night’s Phase 2 draw and will have to face one of the top-seeded nations; either Sweden, Netherlands, Germany or Denmark. They will also be drawn against one of Estonia, Hungary, Poland or Lithuania, as well as one of the four qualifiers from Phase 1.
GB women’s team: Aimee Gibson, Catherine Rose, Tia Norton, Lisa Phillips, Abigail Tordoff, Hanna Maddock, Laura Jackson, Rosie Quirk. Captains: Libby Fletcher and Agustin Gomez Silingo
As well as the established names, 15-year-old prodigy Rosie Quirk makes her senior GB debut, as does newcomer Laura Jackson. Hanna Maddock comes back into the team after missing last year through injury.
Where to follow the FIP Euro Padel Cup
You can watch live coverage from eight courts at the indoor Padel G24 in Madrid on the FIP YouTube channel, results and draws here and follow our in-depth coverage on The Padel Paper.
