Dubai Open Padel Academies Championship ends second edition
The second edition of the Dubai Open Padel Academies Championship has wrapped up in Dubai, with junior titles decided across three age groups as the Dubai Sports Council continues its push to widen pathways in the sport.
The tournament, known as DOPA, was hosted by World Padel Academy in partnership with the UAE Padel Federation and the Dubai Sports Council. It ran over two days and focused on giving young players structured match experience in a competitive setting.
Organisers built the format to keep players on court. Each participant played at least three group-stage matches, followed by two more matches to decide qualification routes and final placings.
Winners
- Boys’ Under-12: Matias Esquivel and Vaineios Grigas
- Boys’ Under-14: Adam Mahmoud and Yasser Kenani
- Boys’ Under-16: Yousef Al Hashimi and Abdulaziz Al Zarooni
Trophies were presented by Ahmed Salem Al Mahri, director of sports talent management at the Dubai Sports Council, alongside Mohammed Noor Maamar, technical coordinator at the UAE Padel Federation.
Al Mahri said talent identification remains a priority for the council and sits within its Sports Plan 2033, with an aim to build a joined-up system to attract and support promising athletes across different sports.
He added that DOPA is part of the council’s wider Dubai Open programme, which also runs events in sports including football, basketball, handball, tennis, gymnastics and badminton.
The organisers said the level of play and the number of young players taking part is another sign of padel’s growing pull among juniors in Dubai, and that the championship is intended to be a building block in a sustainable calendar for youth competition in the emirate.
