Exactly 129 years ago yesterday, the first-ever U.S. Open of golf began play at the Newport Country Club in Rhode Island. So, with many people labeling padel as “the new golf”, perhaps it’s only fitting that the first-ever U.S. Open Padel Championships kicked off yesterday at Padel Haus in Brooklyn.
While it may take awhile before padel’s version of the U.S. Open gains the kind of attention, prestige, and viewership that golf’s version does, it’s still an incredibly important — and historic — moment for the sport here in the U.S. And here are just a few things you should know about the event:
- 160 players from 15 different nations have come to New York City this weekend to compete in the inaugural U.S. Open Padel Championships…
- Among the more notable players in the draws are Miami-born rising star Brittany Dubins… top male talents including Nico Agritelley, Luis Estrada, Guille Cagigas, Maximilliano Rozas, Jose Carlos Gaspar Campos of Spain and Venezuela’s Lucielana Perez… and even former Grand Slam tennis champion, Jared Palmer (who won his first-round match yesterday).
- The tournament is being played just 13 miles away from Flushing Meadows, which hosted the 144th edition of the U.S. Open of tennis just last month (which, on the men’s side, was won by Jannick Sinner, who has regularly been spotted on the padel court over the years).
- Players are competing for a total prize pool of $15,000, and following in the footsteps of PADELphia, the money will be split evenly between men’s and women’s champions.
- Full men’s and women’s draws can be found here — and you can watch live-streamed matches here.
For more information about the U.S. Open Padel Championships, head on over to the U.S. Padel Association’s official event website or get live updates on Instagram.
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