From left: Khalifa Yousif Khoori, first Vice President of UAEPA, Sergio Icardo Alcorisa, Javier Garcia Lopez and Sheikh Abdulaziz Bin Humaid Al Nuaimi during the presentation ceremony.

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

Sergio Icardo Alcorisa and Javier Garcia Lopez cruised to the title in the Gold category at the inaugural edition of the Ajman Padel Tennis Tournament.

They scored an easy 6-0, 6-2 victory over their rivals Masson Xavier and Andres Perez at the Padel Square.

The event was held under the patronage of Sheikh Abdulaziz Bin Humaid Al Nuaimi, Chairman of Ajman Tourism Development Department (ATDD).

Icardo Alcorisa and Garcia Lopez dominated the proceedings from the beginning and didn’t give any room to their opponents for a comeback.

Roberto Rodriguez Roberto and Javier Santoja Espinos finished third.

Khaled Belhoul Alfalasi, Mohamed Alnuaimi Abdulaziz clinched the Bronze category crown following a thrilling three-set win over Omar Abdulla Al Arif, Ahmed Al Awadhi Alawadhi.

Alfalasi and Abdulaziz managed to overcome Arif and Alawadhi in a closely contested first set 6-4.

Stepping up the game, Arif and Alawadhi fought back in the second to take the set 6-1.

The tense final set saw leads were exchanged couple of times but finally

Alfalasi and Abdulaziz managed to prevail over their opponents 6-4, 1-6, 7-5.

The seven-day long tournament took place at several Padel Tennis Courts including Padel Corner and Padel Square.

As part of its sporting calendar, Ajman Tourism organised this tournament in collaboration with the UAE Padel Association (UAEPA), and is considered as the first of its kind in the northern emirates to include Gold (A and B classifications) and Bronze (C classification) categories, in addition to cash prizes to the winners of each category.

Sheikh Abdulaziz Al Nuaimi expressed his pride over the success of the Ajman Padel Tennis Tournament.

He stressed that the objective behind the event was to highlight the position of Ajman as a leading touristic destination on the local and regional map, especially that the sporting scene in the Emirate of Ajman has been witnessing remarkable development.

Sheikh Abdulaziz Al Nuaimi said: “The first edition of the Ajman Padel Tennis Tournament comes as a result of ATDD’s vision to support all types of sports to reinforce the emirate’s position as a leader in sports excellence.

“Padel tennis is considered as one of the fastest growing sports in the world and we are focusing on building a young community of athletes where everyone can share their passion for this game and connect with others in a healthy and competitive environment,” he added.

Saud Al Jasmi, Head of Events at the Ajman Tourism Development Department, said that the Ajman Padel Tennis Tournament contributed to the increase of padel tennis players which has become widely recognised across the country.

He pointed out that organising such tournaments helps in the development of this game on a local level, in addition to acknowledging Ajman’s capacity to host and organise all sorts of sporting events and activities.

Al Jasmi revealed that the tournament witnessed a wide participation that reached around 298 players split between professionals and amateurs, both locals and residents.

“This reflects ATDD’s determination to organise innovative and unique sports activities that are of interest to the youths, considering that the tournament was an ideal opportunity for all participating teams to experience a new sport, especially since padel tennis is receiving a great interest and attention from fans and athletes across the UAE,” he added.