British success at the third LTA Padel British Tour Grade 1 event of 2026 in Guernsey
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British duo of Alice Keddie and Victoria Nicholas claim the women’s title in a competitive final against compatriots Chloe De La Mare and Rosie Quirk.
This weekend brought British success in both the men’s and women’s competitions at the LTA Padel British Tour Grade 1 NSM & SPF Cup in Guernsey.
Held at Guernsey Racquet Club, the British fifth seeds Alice Keddie (Surrey) and Victoria Nicholas (Cambridgeshire) claimed their first LTA Grade 1 title of 2026. In the men’s draw, Spain’s Jose Domingo Martinez and Manuel Valcarcel Sanchez won the title.
Keddie and Nicholas, finalists at the LTA Grade 1 R3 Bullpadel tournament in Exeter earlier this year, carried impressive form into the event and enjoyed a confident run through the draw to reach the final.
There, they faced the top-seeded British pairing of Chloe De La Mare (Channel Islands), who was competing at her home club, and Rosie Quirk (Essex) in a high-quality contest. The opening set was closely fought, with Keddie and Nicholas eventually claiming the title 7-6(4) 6-3.
Nicolas said, “I’m really happy to win our first grade one tournament together, we have been getting closer with each tournament recently so it was great to finally win one in beautiful Guernsey.
"Congrats to Rosie and Chloe for a great final, they pushed hard and made us work for every point. Thanks to the club and organisers for an amazing tournament and for being so flexible and accommodating after flights were cancelled and half the draw arrived late.”
Keddie added, “We’re delighted to have won the LTA Grade 1 in Guernsey this weekend. Rosie and Chloe were fantastic opponents in the final, and the standard was high despite the challenging conditions.
"A great deal of work has gone in over the past few years, and particularly this season, so I’m really proud of the level we produced this weekend and the composure we showed in some of the key moments. There have been plenty of occasions where the performances have been there but the results haven’t quite followed, so it’s rewarding to see that commitment and consistency beginning to translate into results.
"A big thank you to my coach, Ale Grillo at Rocks Lane, for all his guidance and belief in us. Thank you as well to Sara and the tournament organisers for putting on a great event and being so accommodating with travel arrangements.
"I’d also like to thank Nicki and Gess at Sphera Partners for all their encouragement in helping me balance training, competition and work, and Raquex for their continued backing throughout the season. I’m excited for the tournaments ahead and looking forward to continuing to learn, improve and compete.”
On the men’s side, top seeds Jose Domingo Martinez and Manuel Valcarcel Sanchez delivered an impressive display to secure the title. The Spanish pair faced a strong challenge in the final from the British second seeds, Rio Hanif (Essex) and Michael Tolman (Yorkshire) but overcame the home talent 6-4 6-2 to claim the trophy.
Speaking after the final, Sanchez said, “It’s great to win here in Guernsey, our first LTA Grade 1 tournament. We had an amazing time here and have been treated very well.
"The island is beautiful, it feels like a holiday! It is incredible to see how padel is growing across Britain and I look forward to playing more LTA and FIP events across the country.”
The competition at Guernsey Raquet Club was the third 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.
There was continued British success across the six draws at the LTA Padel British Tour Grade 1 NSM & SPF Cup in Guernsey.
The grade one is an inspirational opportunity for Guernsey residents to be able to play against and watch such high quality padel - some of the kids were straight on to court after the final trying to play out of court like the pros!
Tournament Director, Sara Woolland reflected on the event saying, “We had an amazing weekend for our third NSM and SPF grade one with almost 150 players competing in eight categories from under 14 to 60+ and almost 40 players travelling to the island to compete.
"We had some challenges with the weather on Friday affecting travel but everyone was amazingly understanding and accommodating as we changed the order of play to complete matches where players were on site in the morning while we waiting for the late arrivals! The weather was perfect in the end, and we were treated to some sensational padel in the sunshine.
"The grade one is an inspirational opportunity for Guernsey residents to be able to play against and watch such high quality padel - some of the kids were straight on to court after the final trying to play out of court like the pros!”
Padel is one of the fastest growing sports in Britian and is an innovative form of tennis that’s fun, easy to learn and extremely sociable. The sport is played on an enclosed court that is about a third of the size of a tennis court. All ages and abilities can play together.
