Britain hosted a CUPRA FIP Tour event in Taunton, the LTA marked World Padel Day with a new participation figure of 1.5 million, and a Berkshire community lost its fight to keep a much-loved court. Meanwhile the Kuwait Major got under way, with GB No.1 Catherine Rose falling one match short of the main draw. Here is your UK round-up for 19 to 25 October 2026.
FIP Bronze Taunton: Spanish titles, a run to the quarter-finals for Harris and Loughlan
The FIP Bronze EWH City Padel Taunton ran from 21 to 25 October in Somerset. Top seeds Pedro Meléndez and Dani Luna, who arrived fresh from winning the FIP Bronze in Alkmaar the week before, took the men’s title by beating Henrique Barbosa and Marco Remolina Pablo 6-1, 4-6, 7-5 in Sunday’s final. In the women’s event, Susana Martín and Paula Ferrán beat Portugal’s Catarina Santos and Constança Gorito 6-2, 6-2.
For the British players, the best run belonged to Louie Harris and Alex Loughlan. They won two matches to reach the quarter-finals, where they took the first set against José Román Martínez and Adrián Molina before losing 6-7, 7-6, 6-1. GB No.1 Christian Medina Murphy, playing with Alberto García, lost 6-2, 6-3 to the eventual finalists Barbosa and Remolina Pablo in the round of 16, and Alfonso Patacho and Ben Phillips went out at the same stage 6-3, 7-5 to Samuel Alós and Vasco Pascoal.
In the women’s draw, Victoria Nicholas and Alice Keddie came through a tight first round 6-4, 5-7, 7-6 and then lost a three-setter, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, to Felicitas Darboure and Zoe Benítez, who went on to the semi-finals. Chloe De La Mare and Ainhoa Rico won their opener 6-0, 6-0 before losing 6-3, 6-2 to fifth seeds María Delgado and Mar Munera.
World Padel Day: 1.5 million players and a court count past 3,000
To mark World Padel Day on 20 October, the LTA said 1.5 million adults and juniors now play padel in Britain, across 2,445 courts at 682 venues. That compares with 860,000 players at the end of 2025 and 15,000 in 2019, according to the figures reported by The Padel Paper. The LTA added that two-thirds of padel players also play tennis, and that it is working with the UK Government on funding for publicly owned courts, with pilot projects due to launch this year.
A separate count from the data platform Padel Genie, published by The Padel Paper on Monday 26 October, puts the UK at 3,053 courts across 890 clubs as of 24 October. The two figures come from different sources and methods, so they are not directly comparable. Padel Genie also found that councils approved 85% of the new padel schemes they decided on over the last 12 months, and that London has the lowest court provision of any English region at 3.8 courts per 100,000 people.
If the numbers have you looking for a court, our UK padel clubs directory lists venues across the country.
Newbury: council refuses popular hotel court
Not every court story was a happy one. The Padel Paper reported on 25 October that West Berkshire Council refused retrospective planning permission for the padel court at The Retreat at Elcot Park, a hotel near Newbury. The court was built in November 2025 to replace an under-used tennis court, on the mistaken assumption that it would not need planning permission, and it now has 1,500 registered players.
Around 120 supporters turned up at a protest event earlier in the week, which The Padel Paper says set a new world record for the most people on a padel court. The application drew 67 online representations, 64 of them in support. Councillors still voted seven to one, with one abstention, to refuse it, citing noise concerns for neighbours and the lack of a nearby bus stop.
Pro Am Padel Tour and Kuwait Major
Team Goode, captained by former England rugby player Alex Goode, won the Pro Am Padel Tour 2026 Grand Final at Padium, Canary Wharf, which was shown live on talkSPORT’s YouTube channel. The win earned £12,000 for the Matt Hampson Foundation. Team Manford, led by Jason Manford, finished second, and Team James, led by Duncan James, came third. Each celebrity played alongside a British player, with Catherine Rose and Louie Harris both in the winning team, and the day also included an adaptive padel session with GB wheelchair No.1 Louis Telford.
On the pro tour, the Kuwait Major began with qualifying on 23 October. Catherine Rose and Rebeca López, the fourth seeds in women’s qualifying, won their first match 6-1, 6-0 but lost the final qualifying round 6-3, 6-2 to Louise Bahurel and Ivet Val López on Sunday. The men’s main draw started the same day. Ale Galán and Fede Chingotto return to The Arena Kuwait, where they won the FIP World Cup Pairs last year, while Arturo Coello and Agustín Tapia arrive on a run of four straight titles.
The week ahead
The Kuwait Major continues all week, with the round of 16 on Wednesday 28 October, the semi-finals on Friday and both finals on Saturday 31 October. Back home, the inaugural LTA Padel Junior National Championships take place at Just Padel Derby on 29 and 30 October, and Great Britain’s women head to the FIP World Cup in Doha from 2 to 7 November. If World Padel Day has finally talked you into trying the game, have a look at our best beginner padel rackets and best padel shoes UK guides before you buy any kit.
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Sources
- Padel FIP: FIP Bronze EWH City Padel Taunton 2026 event page (21 to 25 October 2026)
- Padel FIP (22 Oct 2026): Luna and Meléndez target back-to-back titles: aiming for the Taunton crown
- Padel Nachos / Pista: FIP Bronze EWH City Padel Taunton 2026 results by round
- Bola Amarela (25 Oct 2026): Henrique Barbosa, Catarina Santos e Constança Gorito vice-campeões em Taunton
- The Padel Paper (20 Oct 2026): It’s World Padel Day… and we’ve hit 1.5million players!
- The Padel Paper (26 Oct 2026): UK passes 3,000 padel courts landmark (Padel Genie data)
- The Padel Paper (25 Oct 2026): Council refusal for popular padel court branded ‘shortsighted’
- The Padel Paper (22 Oct 2026): Team Goode crowned Pro Am Padel Tour 2026 champions
- Padel FIP: Kuwait Major 2026 event page and draw preview (23 Oct 2026)
- Padel Magazine (25 Oct 2026): Kuwait Major qualifying report; BSD / StudyPadel match results
