The US Open story entered a new chapter in its 143-year history today, as the first annual US Open Padel Championships took place in Brooklyn, New York.

With 160 players from 15 nations descending on the now-iconic Padel Haus Dumbo facility, the inaugural US Open kicked off at 9am local time, and in doing so marked a historic moment for the sport in the United States. 

It was not lost on competitors that just four weeks earlier, the US Open Tennis was being staged just 13 miles north-east in Flushing Meadows, as the significance of the occasion was clear to see amongst the players. “The fact that it’s [the tennis US Open] just down the road, well it’s special to be playing here in New York. It’s special to be playing at Padel Haus. This is a great moment for the sport”, said the popular US Number 3 Luis Estrada, who alongside partner Nico Agritelley, triumphed in their first and second round encounters. Estrada and Agritelley, who are arguably the United States’ most recognisable, long-standing doubles pairing left their opponents with few answers, solidifying their status as strong contenders for the title.

Also in action on opening day were number one seeds Jose Carlos Gaspar and Juan Manuel Vazquez, who lived up to expectations, showcasing their dominance with a commanding win to book their place in the next round. 

However, perhaps the highlight of opening day should be reserved for former two-time Grand Slam tennis champion, Jared Palmer, who rolled back the years in his adopted sport of padel to win a tight-fought first round encounter 7-6 in the third set alongside Swedish partner HK Gill on Padel Haus’ center court. During his illustrious tennis career, American doubles specialist Palmer, who now lives in Sweden, won a Wimbledon and Australian Open Championship and racked up 28 doubles titles and one singles. 

In the Women’s Competition, play got underway in the evening With Paloma Vela and Veronica Costabel defeating Julie Razafindranaly and Nicole Chis in the Division 1 Competition. Tomorrow sees most of the women’s competition begin, as well as the quarter final matches for the men’s. 

United States Padel Association President, Martin Sweeney said: “Today was a standout occasion for our sport in the United States. The US Open Padel Championships has arrived, and there could have been nowhere better to give this Championships liftoff than New York, a city that’s had more than its fair share of US Open stories over the years. The players were delighted to get underway with their matches, and it’s apparent that the standard of competition bodes well for padel’s prospects in the United States.”