As South African sports fans look forward to a big weekend of mixed martial arts and rugby action in Perth, Western Cape padel enthusiasts are also in for a treat in Paarden Eiland.
While SA’s Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis and the Springboks continue to grab international headlines ahead of their epic battles with Israel Adesanya and the Wallabies, respectively, local padel players also have every reason to get super excited as they gear up for the first Padel4Good double-header taking place at the Virgin Active Padel Centre tomorrow and on Saturday.
Tomorrow will see the two-part show kick off with a men’s tournament, before the finale rolls out on Saturday, which will see Padel4Good deliver its first women’s elite tournament.
The men’s competition will cater for 32 players (16 teams) rated between one and 2.8 on the PlayTomic App, and the women’s elite show will see Cape Town’s finest padel players with a rating between 2.5 and five enter the courts to showcase their talents.
On June 14, Padel4Good hosted its first men’s elite tournament, which turned out to be a smash hit as some of the city’s best and upcoming players came together to compete not only for bragging rights and better ratings, but also for a great cause.
In the end, well-known padel personality and mixed tournament winner Luke Potter, and his partner Josh van Rensburg, made history by becoming the first Padel4Good elite men’s champions after a high-octane final against worthy competitors Chris da Cruz and Charl Vos in their ‘first to five’ match.
The game delivered everything a padel fan could ask for as forehands, backhands, off-the-wall strokes, lobs, la chiquitas, back glass shots and volleys were prevalent.
This weekend, the Western Cape’s ladies will get to prove who the ultimate queens of the padel courts are, as players were also allowed to pick their teammates.
Thirty-two spots (16 teams) were available as teams will first compete in a round-robin format before entering a knockout stage.
Last month, Kim Krog and Alison Solomon were crowned winners of the sixth Padel4Good ladies event after beating Beverley Frier and Katherine Seymour 5-2 in the final.
It was a special day for Krog, who bagged her second Padel4Good championship.
Various prizes will be up for grabs for competitors and fans in attendance, and the big winner will be the homes and charities across the Western Cape, as all proceeds and sponsorships from every event go to organisations that serve and look after women and children at risk.
Tomorrow’s event kicks off at 6pm, before the ladies’ competition runs from noon to 4pm the following day.
* If you’d like to enter a Padel4Good tournament, check out the Padel4Good Instagram page for more details.