Great Britain finish on a high with victories at the FIP Euro Padel Cup Final 8

The Brits left Linea de la Concepcion in Cadiz on a high after victories in their final matches to claim third spot in the groups, but ultimately missed out on a place in the semi-finals.

The women’s team sealed the first Final 8 win for Great Britain with a 2-1 victory over Germany on Thursday, before the men’s team followed suit, winning four tie-break sets in a row to defeat Sweden 2-1.

This was the first year that the formerly named Padel European Championships has introduced the Final 8 format, with Great Britain coming through qualifying to reach the final stage.

Last year, GB’s men’s team finished seventh, while the women’s side secured a 10^th place finish. This year’s performances have shown how Great Britain is continuing rise amongst Europe’s padel elite.

GB women’s team battle past Germany to finish with a win

The Brits lost out to third seeds France 3-0 in their opening tie, despite Lisa Phillips and Catherine Rose managing to take a set off Lucille Pothier and Louise Bahurel before losing out 3-6, 6-4, 6-0.

The competition didn’t get any easier for the British side who then faced an equally tough challenge up against Italy, where they were also beaten 3-0.

While qualification for the semi-finals was out of reach, the Brits were determined to finish well against Germany and replicate their stunning final qualifying win over Sweden in the summer.

Top-ranked British team Aimee Gibson and Tia Norton got their side off to a winning start, seeing off Milla Blaschke and Celina Ermann 6-2, 2-6, 6-2 to seal their first victory of the competition.

Their performance seemed to inspire Rose and Phillips, who came from a set down to defeat Corina Scholten and Lena Plumer 2-6, 6-1, 6-1 and confirm the win for GB.

GB women’s captain and LTA Performance Pathway Manager Libby Fletcher said: “All in all the women’s team have had a successful week. We had a tough draw with two of the top four in Europe and the French and Italians have such strength in depth.

“The girls showed amazing grit, determination and resilience against Germany – their mindset going into it was fantastic. The conditions were awful, the wind was terrible, which was a real leveller so to get the win and come through two tough matches was amazing.

“Moving forward, it was great and we walk away with lots of things to work on, which for me is really important. I think the gap between these countries is closing for us.”

Britain’s men’s side show quality against strong opposition

After a tough opening tie against Spain, losing 3-0 against the top seeds, Great Britain’s men’s padel team responded well and had strong performances against both Portugal and Sweden in their final matches.

British No.2 Alex Loughlan and Louie Harris were arguably the standout duo of the week, as the only pair to play all three ties together as a team.

Despite Great Britain losing to Portugal 3-0 in their second tie, Loughlan and Harris came within just a few points of defeating joint world No.37s Nuno Deus and Miguel Deus. The Brits narrowly lost 6-7, 7-5, 7-6 in over three hours.

Christian Medina Murphy and Sam Jones also came close against Pedro Perry and Afonso Fazendeiro – losing 7-6, 7-6 – while Alfonso Patacho and Nikhil Mohindra also suffered a defeat at the hands of the Portuguese.

On the final day of the group stages, the Brits managed to turn around their fortunes against Sweden – wrapping up the tie in the first two matches.

Loughlan and Harris led the way for a third consecutive day and managed to get their breakthrough with a well-deserved 7-6, 7-6 win over Albin Olsson and Daniel Windahl – the Brits first victory in Cadiz.

Captain Sandy Fraquharson mixed up the rest of the pairings for the final day and it paid off. British No.1 Medina Murphy teamed up with Patacho to beat Adam Axelsson and Simon Yitbarek 7-6, 7-6 and seal the victory for GB.

Reflecting on the week in Cadiz, men’s captain and LTA National Performance Coach Farquharson said: “We’re very happy with the whole GB performance – men’s and women’s. Coaching the men, they had a really tough group and they got better and better as the week went on. 

“It was an amazing experience for them to play Spain initially, up against the best players in the world, followed up by a very close match with Portugal who are known to be one of the best nations in Europe.

“To finish the week beating Sweden – a team with really strong foundations and have developed so well – was a really good win. It shows that they can get over the line even in pressured situations. It’s a fantastic achievement and I’m very proud of all the players.”

GB padel teams:

Women’s

Aimee Gibson, Catherine Rose, Tia Norton, Lisa Phillips, Abigail Tordoff, Hanna Maddock, Laura Jackson and Rosie Quirk.

Men’s

Christian Medina Murphy, Sam Jones, Alex Loughlan, Louie Harris, Nikhil Mohindra, Jamie Lobo, Tom Farquharson and Alfonso Patacho.