It was a landmark week for British padel. Northern Ireland staged its first-ever professional tournament, Great Britain’s juniors bowed out of their European debut with heads held high, and a dozen home players learned they will grace the sport’s first London Premier Padel P1 in August. Here’s your UK round-up for the week ending Sunday 5 July 2026.
Pro padel makes history in Northern Ireland
The biggest story on home soil unfolded in Moira, where Padel54 hosted the FIP Silver R3 Bullpadel Cup – NI Open from 1–5 July. Billed as the highest level of professional padel ever staged in Ireland – and the first professional event Northern Ireland has hosted – the tournament attracted what organisers called the strongest field ever assembled for a UK competition, with €18,000 in prize money and world-ranking points on the line. Qualifying began on 1 July, the main draws opened on 3 July, and the finals were set for Sunday.
The men’s draw was headed by world no.19 Javier Garrido and no.15 Lucas Bergamini, with Alex Ruiz (no.21) and Juanlu Esbrí (no.24) seeded second. British hopes were led by long-time GB men’s no.1 Christian Medina Murphy, seeded tenth alongside Spain’s Alberto Garcia Jimenez.
There was a poignant British subplot in the women’s event. GB’s Aimee Gibson made her return after five months out with a torn calf muscle sustained in Bahrain back in February – an injury that left her on crutches for eight weeks and forced her to abandon an earlier comeback in May. Reunited with British no.1 Catherine Rose and seeded eighth, the 34-year-old admitted to feeling “a bit emotional” about being back on court. “I’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time,” she said.
Britain’s juniors learn hard lessons in Porto
Great Britain’s boys’ and girls’ teams both bowed out in the qualification phase on their debuts at the FIP Junior Euro Padel Cup in Porto – but not before giving some of the continent’s best a real fright. The boys beat Estonia, Finland and Poland over the weekend to set up a winner-takes-all showdown with Denmark for top spot in Group D and a place in the Final 8.
They came agonisingly close. Tyler Monfillo and Shay Hanif went down 6-2, 6-4 in the U14 rubber, then Olly Grantham and Harley Dixon lost a marathon U16 contest 7-5, 7-6(3). Ben Phillips and Cochise Bennett won the dead U18 rubber 6-1, 6-2 for consolation. The girls, drawn in the only three-team group, saw their hopes ended by a Saturday defeat to Belgium, though they signed off in style with a 3-0 win over the Czech Republic for the loss of just four games. Both squads will be all the better for the experience, and several of these names are ones to watch as they graduate toward the senior game and the frames covered in our best padel rackets guide.
Twelve Brits handed London P1 wildcards
Anticipation is building for the first London Premier Padel P1 at Olympia (3–9 August), and this week the LTA confirmed the twelve British players handed wildcards for it. In the main draws, Catherine Rose and Aimee Gibson will partner each other, Christian Medina Murphy lines up with Alberto Garcia Jimenez, Louie Harris pairs with Alex Loughlan, and Alfonso Patacho joins Chris Salisbury. Ben Phillips, Cameron Dollimore, Theo Garton, Tia Norton and Jamie Lobo Wordsworth make up the British qualifying entries.
Welshman Harris called Britain hosting a Premier Padel event “a bit of a breakthrough moment… it’s massive for British padel.” Rose and Gibson, meanwhile, will play four consecutive FIP tournaments together to sharpen up before the big week.
Clubs and courts: a new landmark for Liverpool
The UK’s court-building boom rolled on with the unveiling of Club Mona, a near-40,000 sq ft “padel, lifestyle and wellness destination” bound for Great Howard Street in Liverpool in early 2027. The ground floor will house eight indoor courts alongside a premium lounge, café and co-working space, with a commercial gym, Hyrox training zone, recovery suite (hot and cold plunges and a sauna) and a full wellness floor completing the offer. It is the work of brothers Luis, Lloyd and Jordan Stockton alongside Applied Nutrition’s Steven Granite, and it captures just how ambitious new British venues have become as the sport pushes past a million players nationwide. If you’re new to padel and eyeing a first session at a club like this, our best padel shoes guide is a sensible place to start.
The week ahead
Attention now turns to August and that historic London P1 – the first time the elite Premier Padel tour has come to Britain. Before then, Rose, Gibson and the rest of the GB contingent have a busy run of FIP events to build form and rhythm. We’ll keep tracking their progress right here.
Sources
- The Padel Paper – Aimee Gibson set for “emotional” return after five-month injury break
- The Padel Paper – FIP Silver R3 Bullpadel Cup NI Open brings pro padel to Belfast
- The Padel Paper – Both GB teams suffer early exits at FIP Junior Euro Padel Cup
- The Padel Paper – GB stars given wildcards for London Premier Padel P1
- The Padel Paper – Liverpool to get new padel, lifestyle and wellness destination
- Padel FIP – FIP Silver NI Open Ireland 2026
