The APPT is back with a BANG(kok).
Pad Thai Padel club played host to a joyous and memorable opening tournament of the 2025 season, filled with excitement, drama, quality of the highest level and a surprise Thai Drag Show on central court!
The Thai capital of Bangkok was a brilliant host city, welcoming over 100 teams to come and showcase their skills. It was the first time that the APPT had visited Bangkok, and it will now be near the very top of the list of places to return to. The tournament was sold out long before the registration deadline, and the long waiting list of hopeful teams show the demand that Thailand offers and the growth of padel in the region.
Bangkok was Buzzing
The Live Draw kicked off the week, and threw up some amazing first round ties in all categories, with fans already predicting the pro semifinals and the incredible matches they promised to be. And as players began to arrive at the club to practice, there was a real buzz of anticipation.
The Pad Thai club had their beautiful club prepared wonderfully, ready to accommodate players every need, meaning the players felt right at home from the word GO!
At 7am on the Friday morning, referee got the first of 131 matches started. Players of over 30 nationalities would play in the competition, showing the amazing reach the APPT already has.
The Results – Teams show themselves as the team to beat in 2025!
The Mens Pro category began 7am on Friday morning with a 14 team qualifying draw, seeing only 4 teams progress to the main draw. This was without doubt, the highest quality qualifying draw we’ve ever had, which left some fantastic teams on the losing side and fighting it out in a high level consolation draw.
The pick of the qualifying matches was the victory of Nacho Carbonera and Laureano D’addona over Ryan Wyatt & Juan Luis Pita Campo. All 4 players are based in Thailand, so were well used to local conditions. It was Ryan and Juan who took the opening set, but Nacho and Laureano prevailed in the end, winning sets 2 and 3 7-6 7-6 to book their place in the main draw.
The main draw began Saturday and the lucky draw gave us one round of 16 match in particular to look forward to. 4 time APPT champion Dani Bressel and his new partner Roberto Rodriguez Alonso were up against APPT debutants and Premier Padel players, Raul Marcos and Sergio Alba. It was a pulsating contest between the pairs, and eventually the debutants came out on top to book their place in the next round.
All 4 quarter final matches ended in straight-set victories, which took us to the semi finals and some amazing contests.
In the blazing heat of Sunday morning, number one seeds Pol Alsina and Edu Altimires took on Raul and Sergio. The temperature reached 34°C, but the action on court was hotter for sure. Alsina/Altimires found themselves a break down 3-5 in the first set, with their opponents serving for the set, but rallied superbly to clinch 4 games in a row and steal the set 7-5. The second set proved equally tight, with one break the difference Marcos/Alba took it 6-3. That proved to be a real momentum changer, and Raul and Sergio romped home to victory with a commanding 6-0 scoreline in the 3rd and booked a place in the final.
In the 2nd semi-final, we saw old rivals Marc Bernils and Tim Brown take to the court with their respective partners, Sergi Nogueras and Shungo Kusakabe. Something didn’t right however, as Marc and Tim seemed to be smiling and chatting together! Bygones have become bygones and all the drama of 2024 has been forgotten, with all players focusing on letting their padel skills do the talking.
This was not-to-be another 3 hour epic, Bernils and Nogueras with a convincing 6-3 6-4 victory.
The final was preceded with an amazing display on Mui Thai, which wowed the huge crowd gathered to watch. The fight all four players showed on court after was an apt reflection – the match was long, tense and filled with epic drama.
The first set went to a tie break, which was won by the Madrid-based pair, Raul and Sergio. This seemed to ignite a spark in the Barcelona boys, Marc & Sergi, using the Spanish rivalry to motivate them and spur them on in their fightback. The 2nd set went their way 6-3 which took the match to a decider – as the clock rolled past 10pm, not a single spectator left, captivated by the on-court action. The momentum was firmly with Marc & Sergi now, and the pressed their feet hard on the accelerator, and an early break proved decisive. They eventually sealed an incredible victory 6-4 in the deciding set to send the crowd wild, and provide a fitting finale for an amazing tournament.
All 4 semi-finalists are playing again in Phuket next week, and we cant wait to see what they have in store for us there.
In the Womens Pro, the quality was equally high with some excellent displays. 8 strong pairs entered, meaning that all teams began in the quarter finals. The number 1 seeds Kotomi Ozawa and Eli Nogueras (sister of Sergi) were up first against the Russian pair of Alena Vasileva & Angelina Neizvestnaya. The Russians started well, and never looked back, creating a big upset to win 6-4 6-3.
The Womens final really proved to be the best match of the tournament in the category, with the best two teams throughout coming up against each other. Alena and Angelina would take on Joanna Tao Yee Tan and Mariam Yasmin Garsin of the Philippines.
For Joanna, a chance to regain the no.1 spot in the Female APPT rankings if she could win her 3rd APPT title, adding to The Cage in Singapore and Joy Division in Kuala Lumpur. This time, she had a new partner alongside her – Mariam, instead of Marian Capadoccia, her long term partner.
Alena and Angelina were seeking their first APPT title, and although unseeded, it was clear they would put up a huge fight against the Filipino second seeds, after their performances to reach the final.
The first set was very tight, with 7 breaks of serve in total, both teams having the opportunity to serve for the match and multiple golden points. Eventually it was Alena and Angelina who eventually came out on top, taking it 7-5, Again, the word momentum comes to mind, and what a crucial role it plays in sport. It was all-important here. Alena and Angelina grew in confidence and began to be more accurate in their play, finishing points with more power, and forcing their opponents into more mistakes. It was them who would come out on top 6-2 in the 2nd to seal the title.
Both teams for sure have a lot to be proud of after excellent displays throughout the tournament.
In the Mixed Pro, the Masters Finals champions continued their dominance in Bangkok. Tim Brown and Irina Chernaya only dropped 5 games all tournament as they showed the Asia Pacific region the standard to beat in Mixed Doubles.
In the final, they met Aram Kocharyan of Armenia and Ji Vichithong of Thailand who also had a fantastic tournament. Their semifinal win was an epic 3-set battle, enjoyed by all who watched it, ebbing and flowing throughout. But in the final, they came up short against Tim and Irina, who were deserving champions.
Elsewhere, in the Mens Amateur, the standard continues to increase. Pad Thai Padel coach Filippo Simeoni and his French partner Alexandre Wuille took the crown to the delight of the home support.
In the Womens Amateur, the Lims from Singapore Larissa and Angela were 6-2 6-1 winners in the final. They were no.1 seeds and only dropped 8 games on their way to victory. Larissa has entered the Pro category in Phuket, so it will be very exciting to see how she does there.
Finally, the Mixed Amateur which was won by Angela Lim once more, and her partner Dhivesh Dadlani. They didnt drop a set on their way to the title, and did it all with huge smiles never leaving their faces – just what mixed doubles is all about.
The closing ceremony celebrated the winners in Bangkok, and the 2024 season winners which are listed below. Those celebrations continued at a nearby bar, with players from all over Asia Pacific coming together to recognise a fantastic tournament and dance the night away!
We cant wait for Phuket next week!
Catch up with the action from Bangkok via our Youtube channel here
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