Day 1 Rivas. Dehnike, Zamora &co: NextGen gets beautiful

Talent, talent and more talent. The first day of the Premier Padel P2 in Gijon saw young players who will be heard about in the coming years take the court. Proving that padel looks to the present but also to the future. At the start of the main draw were three players born in 2008: Samuel Rivas, Facundo Dehnike and Juan ‘Coquito’ Zamora. They all won, qualifying for the round of 16. Spaniards Rivas and Zamora, Paraguayan Dehnike, who had already made his debut last year in the Premier Padel circuit in Asuncion. Dehnike (paired with Manuel Aragon, born in 2006) is not the only Paraguayan to show off: there is in fact also compatriot Mariano Gonzalez (2007), Zamora’s own partner and the same age as Francisco Cabeza Teres, the fourth youngest player in the main draw (he turned 17 on December 5th) and also qualified for the round of 16. The most NextGen challenge on Thursday, when the top four seeds will make their debut, will be between Dehnike and Aragon opposing Boris Castro and Enzo Jensen, both born in 2006 and winners last weekend of the FIP Silver in Valencia.

WOMEN Thursday also sees the debut of the eight seeded players in the women’s draw. If Paula Josemaria and Ari Sanchez (1) will play against Marina Guinart and Victoria Iglesias – last year’s winners of the CUPRA FIP Finals –, the most eagerly awaited match is the one between two experienced players like Lucia Sainz and Patty Llaguno and two young talents like Ale Alonso and Andrea Ustero. They best represent the NextGen of world padel.