Newly crowned LTA Padel Regional/Game4Padel Tour mixed champion Antonio Fernandez-Liebrez Martin hopes Saturday’s victory at Edinburgh Park will be the first of many for him and partner Mercedes Perez Gonzales.
The all-Spanish pair played together for the first time and beat Karen Crawford and Alex Lalos 6-1, 6-4 in a high-quality final. The final was appreciated by other competitors.
Antonio was also determined to deliver this fantastic win for his burgeoning partnership with “MPG”, which was particularly impressive defensively and was a real springboard to further success.
Mercedes teamed up with Flora Sanches Rubio to claim victory in the inaugural LTA/Game4Padel Tour Level 5 Women’s event at the Thistle Tennis and Padel Club last month and now, she Rank two wins in our tournament.
The new Game4padel mixed champion said: “I’ve known Mercedes for a few years, we met at WOSP (West of Scotland Padel) and became good friends, but it’s the first time we’ve competed together so it’s important for us to win. Say something special.
“The level has been improving, we’ve had a few tough games and I just want to say well done to Karen and Alex going into the final.
“But for Mercedes and me, we want to race again and I think we can have a strong partnership.”
Antonio, from Malaga, is the padel coach at Edinburgh Sporting Club and has no doubts about the importance of the Game4Padel Tournament.
He said: “I really enjoyed the tournament and it’s great to have the opportunity to compete against other players from all over Scotland.
“Hopefully we will have more matches like this as they are very important for cricketers in Scotland and the development of the sport. So far too many people have had to go to England if they want to play so Game4Padel is promoting these matches The work done on the side is crucial to the game here.”
Game4Padel Tour Director Neil Harden was also convinced of the success of the 10-pair Edinburgh Park event, saying: “The regionals went really well, the standard was really good and everyone seemed to be having a good time, Even if it was a bit chilly! A big thank you to everyone who entered.
“We had Mercedes playing and she has to be the best female player in Scotland and I think while she and Antonio won the final and congratulations to them, the other players thought they could actually compete with them.
“Antonio and Mercedes were under pressure from Ali Findlay and Emma Birch in the semi-final and Alex and Karen in the final, so from a padel point of view , the difference in standards is not as different as some players may have thought. For me, I think that’s a big positive and very encouraging.
“So those players just put in some effort to come back again and close the gap further, and that has to be a real source of positive for them.”
Neil added: “As far as the lost finalists, Alex Lalos has probably only been playing for seven months, and then there’s Karen Crawford, who just played in our last month Played her first game at the Thistle in the women’s game, so it was also the first time they played together, and it really shows you how quickly people bond and develop as partners.
“But throughout the game we had a lot of intense games and while the score looked fairly decisive, the winning pair had to work really hard in almost every game, which again bodes well for an improved level of quality. ”
Also in attendance was Scottish women’s padel founder Rachel Richmond, who reached the quarter-finals with husband Adrian before losing to top seed and eventual champion Spain combination.
For Rachel, the sign is clear that the Game4Padel Tour has started to help foster a sense of community around the Alba padel, she says: “It’s been a really lovely event and it’s great to see people from WOSP, Thistle and Edinburgh Sports Club, and even And a lady from Aberdeen playing in such a friendly environment.
“You can see that players from different clubs are getting to know each other because of these Game4Padel tournaments, people got to know each other last month at the women’s championship and hugged each other, so it was a very nice and friendly competition. Just a An atmosphere of warm welcome.
“It feels like we’re starting to grow the cricket community in Scotland and the Game4Padel Tour events are a big part of helping that grow.”
We will be confirming details of the next tournament shortly, which is scheduled for May 6-7 and includes both women’s and men’s competitions.
