Players celebrate with their trophies.
Doha, Qatar: The first-ever International Padel Federation (FIP) organized youth event in Qatar concluded at Padel In at Aspire Zone yesterday.
The FIP Promises Aspire Academy Tournament, part of a global tour for youth players, marked a significant moment in Aspire Academy’s 20th-anniversary celebrations.
Featuring Under-14 and Under-16 players, this event underscored Aspire Academy’s partnership with the Qatar Padel Federation to boost youth engagement in the sport across the region.
The U-16 event was won by Izan Violero Lloret and Javier Bolumar Orti from Spain who beat compatriots Rafa Lacuesta Martinez and Jose Manuel Lillo Albertos 2-1.
It was the same score in the U-14 event as Jaime Rodriguez Gonzalez and Eduardo Vazquez Moruno, also from Spain, beat their fellow countrymen Javier Garcia Alonso and Lucas Villa Gimenez.
The standout performance by a Qatari player was fourth place in the U-16 for Aspire Academy student-athlete Abdulrahman Khalid Alyafei and his Spanish partner Antonio Gracia Fernandez who lost a tight match against Javier Garcia Caro and Rafael Reyes Moreno from Spain.
The FIP Promises tournament brought together 22 teams from Qatar, Spain, Bahrain, Lebanon, and Kuwait, providing a valuable platform for emerging padel talent.
The tournament’s final matches drew the attendance of Aspire Academy Deputy Director General Ali Salem Afifa, Education Director Ali Salem Afifa, Head of Shared Services Ali Sultan Fakhroo, Marketing and Communication Director Alanoud AlMesnad, and Padel head coach Mariano Amat.
Among the participants were all nine of Aspire Academy’s padel student-athletes, representing Qatar’s future in the sport. They were joined by Yousef Largach and Elias Lejmi in the U-14 category, the duo is part of Aspire Academy pre-academy training programme. Also in the U-14 category, Aspire Academy’s Hamad Mohammed Al Modadi teamed up with Spain’s Alex Acelga Dominguez as the top seeds, alongside Ali Abdulrahman Al Malik, who partnered with Qatar’s Ahmed Hassan, and Essa Al Kuwari with Ali Ebrahim Al Malik, all Aspire student-athletes.
For the U-16 category, Aspire was represented by Abdulrahman Khalid Alyafei, Saadon Alkuwari, Rayan Meknassi, Mohammed Ali Al Hiji, and Abdulla Alqadi.
Additionally, four other players from the broader Qatari padel community participated, contributing to a strong national showing in both categories.
