Great Britain deliver strong results at the 2025 FIP Senior Euro Padel Cup
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This past weekend saw the conclusion of the FIP Senior Euro Padel Cup in Valencia, Spain, an event that brought together Europe’s top senior padel talent across five age categories: +35, +40, +45, +50, and +55.
Representing Great Britain, the women’s team finished in eighth place, while the men’s team closed out their campaign in eleventh. Both teams were aiming to build on their 2023 performances, where they finished eighth and tenth respectively.
The tournament, held at the Family Sport Centre in Valencia, featured a round-robin format with national teams competing in ties made up of five matches.
GB women's finish eighth
The British senior women's padel team had an impressive showing in the group stages, securing a dominant 5-0 win over Austria before falling 4-1 to a strong Netherlands side, who would go on to place fourth overall.
Finishing second in their group meant team GB moved into the playoffs for positions 7 to 12. In the quarter-finals of the following stage, GB overcame Germany with a 3-2 win, followed by a convincing 5-0 win in the semi-finals over Ireland.
In a hard-fought final play-off match against Denmark, Britain narrowly missed out, falling 3-2 to finish 8th overall, the same position as 2023.
Great Britain’s Women’s Captain, Jo Ward, reflected on the event saying, “It was an honour to captain the British women’s team again, this time from the bench due to injury. Every one of our players gave her max across both Teams and Pairs events, and we battled to within a set of a 7th place finish. We will continue to invest and improve to come back stronger for the World Championships in 2026.”
GB women's team:
Coach: Belen Castrillo de la Cruz
Dawn Foxhall (Captain), Jo Ward (Captain), Susie Azoulay, Sophie Cousins, Helen Crook, Angela Wood, Victoria Davies, Sally Fisher, Sarah Lochrie, Carol Prado, Kerry White.
Reserves: Louise Baker, Nicky Horn
Opens Pairs event: Teresa Catlin, Helen Cowlrick, Gilly Smail, Karen Hazzard, Lucie Wade
GB men's team seal 11th place
The British men’s team competed in Group E alongside the Czech Republic and France. They started strong with a comfortable 4-1 win over the Czech team but faced a tough challenge against France, who went on to win the tournament’s silver medal.
In the play-off to decide 10th and 11th place, Britain fought hard, but narrowly lost 3-2 to Norway, meaning the team finished the competition in 11th place.
Elliot Selby, Great Britain’s men’s captain said, “After representing GB at the World Championships last year, it was a privilege to be asked to co-captain the men's team for the European Championships this year. We finished 11th, losing out a close final match to Norway, to be one position off our seeding of 10th.
"It was a first GB cap for many of our squad, and the energy, effort and commitment from our squad was fantastic. Every nation is improving and it has given all of us a hunger to continue to improve. With the right support and strategy, we have the talent to reach new heights in 2026.”
GB men's team:
Coach - Alex Grilo Acosta
- +35s Elliot Selby (Captain), Maniel Bains, Andrew Brigham, Jack Hazelwood
- +40s Ali Anderson, Richard Brooks, James Southwood, Mike Tolman
- +45s Ben Gudzelak, Ross Murdoch, Gareth Nicol, Mark Openshaw
- +50s Andrew Warren (captain), Nick Baglin, John Dunseath, Steven Wood
- +55s Keith Gilbert, Kingsley Harris, Chris Warren, Peter Wright
Alongside the main national events, the tournament also featured a seniors pairs competition, with each country allowed up to 10 pairs in their age group.
Carol Prado and Dawn Foxhall had an impressive run, reaching the play-offs and competing for a medal after a tough semi-final loss to a very strong French duo. Unfortunately, due to Carol Prado getting injured, the British team was unable to play in the match for third place.
