Premier Padel 2025: Cristiano Ronaldo Makes An Appearance As Season Kicks-off In Riyadh

After their shock loss in the 2024 Premier Padel Finals, top seeds Arturo Coello and Agustín Tapia got straight back to winning ways at the 2025 P1 season opener in Riyadh as Paula Josemaría Martin and Ariana Sanchez Fallada also triumphed at a Saudi Arabian stop where football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo cheered on regularly from the stands. (More Sports News)

Portuguese legend Ronaldo supported his compatriots the Deus brothers in the early rounds as Coello and Tapia battled past third seeds Franco Stupaczuk and Juan Lebrón in a rain delayed Monday final to put down their season marker. Meanwhile, Josemaría and Sánchez were untroubled again in winning the women's event.

After producing an outrageous winner from outside of the court in the final game, 22-year-old Coello said: "It's been a difficult week because of the rain. I'm very happy to have won my first tournament. The level of the guys today was incredible. I hope we can keep doing like this the whole year."

The event got off to a fun start with Ronaldo's appearances as Miguel and Nuno Deus became the first 100% Portuguese duo to reach the men's main draw at Premier Padel and first pair of brothers - including copying Ronaldo's iconic "siiu" gesture after their opening two victories - before second seeds Alejandro Galán and Fede Chingotto ended the qualifiers' exciting run in the Round of 16.

The men's draw saw seventh seeds Francisco Navarro and Lucas Bergamini exit at the same stage as sixth seeds Jon Sanz and Jerónimo 'Momo' González also bowed out before the quarter-finals.

Spaniard Pablo Cardona and Argentine Leandro Augsburguer then produced the biggest shock of the tournament to see off Galán and Chingotto 6-3 4-6 6-3, which marks only the second time in 19 tournaments that Spaniard Galán and his partner from Argentina have failed to reach the semi-finals.

Cardona and Augsburguer couldn't repeat it in Sunday's last-four clash, though, following Saturday's washout as Stupaczuk and Lebrón dug deep to win 4-6 6-3 7-5 to book a final against Coello and Tapia who dismissed Spain's Jorge Nieto and new partner Miguel Yanguas 6-3 6-2.

The Monday final looked set to be another Coello and Tapia masterclass as they raced into a 6-3 lead, only for Stupaczuk and Lebrón to hit right back 7-5 in the second before normal service resumed in the decider as the top seeds forced a crucial, early break en route to closing out the title 6-3.

Tapia, 25, added: "The truth is that the effort made by the organisation, by all the workers so that we could have the track in the best conditions was incredible. I am very grateful."

The women's event saw a number of new partnerships embark on the 2025 season, Spaniard Bea González teaming up with 18-year-old sensation Claudia Fernández Sánchez to race through their first two matches - only dropping five games - before Argentine Delfina Brea Senesi and new partner Gemma Triay Pons put up harder opposition in their semi-final clash as González and Fernández won 4-6 6-3 6-4.

González, 23, revealed: "We have very similar personalities, we're both calm, hard-working, and will make a great team. We're going for that No. 1 spot."

Up the top of the draw, Josemaría and Sánchez only dropped 10 games in reaching the final as their 6-0 7-5 victory over fourth seeds Sofia Araujo and Marta Ortega Gallego in the semis proved to be their final match with González's pectoral injury flaring up again to deny her and Fernández glory.

The 2025 season begins another exciting chapter for Premier Padel as the unified global tour continues to expand under the governance of the FIP.

With 24 tournaments in 16 countries across five continents, the world's best players will compete throughout the year, all vying for a place at the prestigious Qatar Airways Premier Padel Finals in Barcelona from December 8-14.

As the season progresses, fans around the world will be able to follow the excitement, with all quarter-finals, semi-finals and finals streamed live on Red Bull TV.