In addition to releasing its year-end rankings of the top U.S. men’s and women’s padel players, last week the U.S. Padel Association (USPA) also released its year-end rankings for the Chosen Foods U.S. Senior Padel Circuit.
2023 was the inaugural year for this circuit and according to the USPA, “[it] was formed to address the growing number of padel players across all age groups.” The circuit consisted of nine total tournaments spread around the U.S. at venues including Taktika Padel in San Diego and Los Angeles, Real Padel in Miami, and The Sports Haus in Norwalk, CT.
The divisions for the Senior Circuit were based on FIP and AFP categories and included Men’s 35+, 45+, and 55+ groupings, as well as Women’s 30+, 40+, and 50+ categories.
Men’s Divisions Results
The Men’s 35+ division proved to be one of the most competitive, with Juan Arraya and Patricio Misitrano sharing the top spot after triumphing twice as partners. Tomas Galez finished in 3rd position, followed by 11 players tied for the 4th spot.
Meanwhile, Fernando Alarcon and Gabriel Perez Krieb finished atop the Men’s 45+ rankings with two victories. Notably, this division had 14 first-time tournament winners, suggesting that the division will likely be wide open heading into 2024.
Finally, in the Men’s 55+ group, Gabriel Sanchez Aniesta and Larry Pascal topped the rankings after each winning four tournaments apiece, three of them as a team. Ron Bobman and Carlos Rodiguez finished a close 3rd and 4th with two tournament victories together.Â
Women’s Divisions Results
The Women’s 30+ group featured a four-way tie at the top, with Anca Anastasiu, Veronica Ruiz, Cynthia Ainsa, and Ana Paula Soto all winning one tournament and finishing the year with 1,000 points apiece.
Similarly, the Women’s 40+ division ended the year with six players tied at the top, with Catherine Galvin, Carolina Dealtube, MarÃa del Pilar Morales, Seunghae Miryam Shin, Heather Bartzen, and Jen Demsey all winning one tournament each.
Cynthia Ainsa took the top spot in the Women’s 50+ with 2,000 points after two tournament victories. Alison Withers and Sue Hart played as partners and shared 2nd place.
The Beginning of Something Big
The USPA also released their full list of 2024 tournaments, saying, “as more players enter tournament play and more tournaments are offered in 2024, we expect to see these divisions become more and more competitive” and “with FIP announcing that the Senior World Championships will be played in 2024, these will be exciting tournaments to play in and watch next year.”
