Spanish fourth seeds Patricia Llaguno and Victoria Iglesias got their campaign off to a great start with an impressive victory at the Modon Abu Dhabi Padel Master on Wednesday.
They outclassed compatriots Lorena Alonso and Sandra Hernandez 6-1, 6-1 in just over an hour on centre court at Al Bab Al Nojoum on Hudayriat Island to progress into the round of 16 of the World Padel Tour event.
“Yes, it was a good start and a convincing win, but the round of 16 is going to be much harder,” Llaguno, who has been competing as a professional for 14 years, told The National.
“I have been playing in the WPT circuit for a long time and it’s the first time in Abu Dhabi in an open court. It was a bit hot out there this morning but Victoria, my new partner, and I thoroughly enjoyed the first outing out there.
“I have travelled to Mexico and Miami but have been playing mostly in Europe. The last two years I mostly played back at home in Spain because of the pandemic, and it was a very nice feeling to get to Abu Dhabi.”
Llaguno, who turns 38 soon, has seen the sport’s popularity rise at a fast pace across the world in the last five years.
“It’s actually a spectacular sport and I see more padel courts developed in many cities across the world,” she added.
“I started with tennis when I was studying in the US before I started playing padel. I was hooked and enjoyed playing it full-time – training, playing and travelling the world.
“I’m also fortunate to have a family business, to take time off to be engaged in padel full-time.
“The facilities in Abu Dhabi are fantastic and I’m aware the sport is spreading across the region with the WPT event taking place here in the next five years. So, I can say Abu Dhabi and the region is on track.”
This tournament with a prize pool of €250,000, the highest ever in a WPT tournament, witnessed a stunning upset of fan favourite Francisco Compan of Spain and his Argentine partner Juan Tello.
They lost to Spanish duo Gonzalo Rubio Perez and Javier Ruiz Gonzalez 6-4, 7-5 in opening round in the men’s division.
The top-seeded pair of Agustin Tapia and Arturo Manso moved into the second round after a hard fought 7-6, 7-6 result over Javier Mora and Javier Barahmona.
