Padel Heineken Open thrills
The Nam Padel Courts centre was the place to be when the finals of the inaugural Heineken 0.0 Open Padel tournament was concluded on Saturday evening. A big and boisterous crowd was on hand to see the Hinda brothers, Veja and Nguvi, win the men’s title, while Katja Tattersall and Linique van der Berg won […] The post Padel Heineken Open thrills appeared first on The Namibian.
Black News 
The Nam Padel Courts centre was the place to be when the finals of the inaugural Heineken 0.0 Open Padel tournament was concluded on Saturday evening.
A big and boisterous crowd was on hand to see the Hinda brothers, Veja and Nguvi, win the men’s title, while Katja Tattersall and Linique van der Berg won the women’s title.
Both finals were thrilling affairs that saw fortunes swaying to and fro between the contestants.
In the men’s final, the Hinda brothers won the first set 6-3, but their opponents, Henco Serdyn and Deon Pienaar, struck back to take the second set 6-3.
The final third set went down to the wire before the Hinda brothers finally won the tiebreak 7-6 to win the match 2-1.
Veja says it was a tough match.
“We started off very strongly to win the first set 6-3, but our opponents changed their game plan completely and played very well to win the second set 6-3. So we had to adjust to their new game so the last set went to a tiebreaker which we managed to win,” he says.
Nguvi says the victory meant a lot.
“I’m very happy to win this title because we lost to them in the premier league not so long ago, so now we managed to take revenge. I can’t really say much because I’m so excited. It was a long match, but my brother and I kept each other going,” he says.
Both brothers have represented Namibia in other sport codes, with Nguvi shining in tennis and Veja in mixed martial arts, but Veja says padel is also a great sport.
“I would say its probably the fastest-growing sport in Namibia right now, everybody is trying to get into padel. Nguvi just recently competed at the Davis Cup tennis tournament, so making that adjustment to padel is pretty easy, and I’m just loving it, I’m probably on the court three times a week if not more,” he says.
In the semi-finals, the Hindas beat Pieter Steenkamp and Neil van Vuuren 7-6, 6-4, while Serdyn and Pienaar beat Alrich Jacobs and Rico Kreitz 6-4, 4-6, 7-5.
In the women’s final fortunes also swayed to and fro before Tattersall and Van der Berg emerged victorious, with a 1-6, 7-6, 6-2 victory against Hele Steenkamp and Antonia Kambouris.
In the semi-finals, Tattersall and Van der Berg beat Daisy Nielsen and Ana Serratosa 6-0, 6-0, while Steenkamp and Kambouris beat Alessia Araujo and Katja Laborn 6-1, 6-1.
A total of 31 teams competed in the men’s draw and 16 teams in the women’s draw.
The Namibia Professional Padel League, meanwhile, received a further boost when Heineken announced a sponsorship on Thursday through its brand Heineken® 0.0.
“Heineken® 0.0 is proud to announce its partnership with the Namibia Professional Padel League, reinforcing the brand’s ongoing commitment to the growth of padel globally as one of the world’s fastest‑growing sports, and supporting the development of the game at both a social and professional level locally,” it says in a press release.
“Through this collaboration, Heineken® 0.0 will support NPPL tournaments and events, offering players and fans a premium alcohol‑free option that fits seamlessly into active and social moments,” it says.
The post Padel Heineken Open thrills appeared first on The Namibian.
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