The University of Nottingham’s padel team made history at the sports inaugural UK Universities Championships, securing a victory in the competition.
The two day event, held from January 1st to 2nd 2025 at Rocket Padel in Bristol, saw 143 athletes compete in 37 teams.
Nottingham’s first team emerged as champions in a super tiebreak.
The team won off the back of the talent of Mateo Padovani, Thomas Sheldon, Luca Fielden and Tom Pattullo, who moved swiftly through the early rounds of the competition, securing a spot in the semifinals. Nottingham then moved into the next round to face Nottingham Trent University.
Mateo Padovani and Thomas Sheldon delivered a commanding performance, winning their match 11-4.
Luca Fielden and Tom Pattullo dominated, winning 12-1.
With both pairs victories in hand, the University of Nottingham secured a place in the final, where they would go head to head against a strong Exeter team for the title.
The final proved to be a suspenseful showdown. Both pairs from Nottingham and Exeter split into their individual matches, leading to a tense super tie-breaker to decide the ultimate winner.
Mateo Padovani and Luca Fielden emerged victorious, clinching the championship title for Nottingham.
UoN Padel Team Captain Luca Fielden spoke about the achievement: “I’m extremely proud of the first team for the immense character shown in taking home the title against a formidable Exeter side in an intense super tiebreak.”
The victory marks a significant achievement for the University of Nottingham, as the first team has set a high benchmark for padel success at university level.
It’s also a testament to the rising popularity of the sport among student, with a growing number of players joining the ranks of Nottingham’s padel teams.
Nottingham’s second team, featuring Jacob Womersley, Aiden Wharton, Jos Schellekens and Daniel Stoller, also performed admirably.
The team beat Oxford Brookes 1s to reach the quarterfinals before their knockout by Bristol 1s.
Talking about the second team’s incredible performance , Luca commented: “The 2s also delivered an impressive performance, advancing from the group stages to the quarter finals and providing us with unwavering support throughout the final to help us get over the line!”
Despite the loss, their strong performance throughout the tournament showcased the depth of talent and passion for padel at the University of Nottingham.
Following the tournament, Nick Baker, CEO and founder of UK Padel, commented on plans for expansion: “We hope this event will have a lasting legacy on the impact of padel in the UK as we are working with the LTA and BUCS to get Padel recognised under BUCS and that will be hugely beneficial to the sport.”
The recognition of BUCS would lead to more funding, allowing the expansion of the sport and more opportunities for students to compete.
Featured image via University of Nottingham
