Abigail Tordoff & Christian Medina Murphy both lift titles at LTA Padel British Tour Grade 1 in Stratford
• 2 minutes read
Top seeds Abigail Tordoff and her Spanish partner Ainhoa Rico claimed the LTA Grade 1 R3 Bullpadel Cup title, British No.1 Christian Medina Murphy won the men's trophy alongside Spaniard Alberto Garcia Jiminez.
Tordoff, the British No.5, delivered a strong performance in Stratford alongside Rico, with the duo claiming the title without dropping a set throughout the tournament.
In the semi-finals, the British-Spanish duo defeated the third-seeded teenage pairing of Chloe De La Mare and Rosie Quirk 6-3, 6-3.
They carried that momentum into the final, where they comfortably overcame the second seeded Brits, Jasmine Dedakia and Laura Jackson, winning 6-0, 6-1 to cap an impressive tournament.
Reflecting on her first title of 2026, Tordoff said, “It feels amazing to win this tournament. It has been a really enjoyable weekend, very well ran tournament and brilliant to see so many kids on court at the same time. Personally I am really happy with the way that we played and it’s great to see the level getting better and better.”
Despite losing out in the semi-finals, it was still a successful week for De La Mare and Quirk, who also competed and won the girls under-18 draw, only dropping two games in the competition. The pair were the first under 18 girls’ national champions at the inaugural LTA Padel National Championships in December.
On the men’s side, British No.1 Medina Murphy also had an impressive tournament alongside his partner Garcia Jiminez. In the finals, the pair came up against LTA National Padel Champions and second seeds, Louie Harris and Alex Loughlan, claiming the title 6-4, 6-2.
Speaking after the final, Medina Murphy reflected on the tournament saying, “We are so happy to win the R3 Bullpadel Cup LTA Grade 1. The level of the tournament was really high, and we had to bring our best to every match to make sure that we got the victory. It is great to get the win.”
The competition at Stratford Padel Club was the first of seven LTA Grade 1 events in 2026 to take place across England, Scotland, and the Channel Islands as part of the British Tour, which encompasses the top padel competitions in Great Britain.
Grade 1 events see the very best British players and international competitors competing in standout events, across full weekends, for prize money. In 2026, British players, including juniors, open, and seniors, will have 35 weeks of international and domestic playing opportunities to earn valuable prize money and ranking points.
Co-Tournament Directors, Sam Kemp, R3, and Sam Mole, Stratford Padel Club reflected on the event saying, “We were really pleased with the level and standard of the entries, and the players did not disappoint over the weekend. We’ve managed to bring the top pro players together alongside the juniors which has been brilliant to watch and created a fantastic atmosphere across the weekend. It was a great event, with big crowds and amazing padel. Thank you to all the players, parents and spectators the supported the event and to our wonderful partners for help making it happen!”
