Egypt dominates the historic first FIP Junior Africa Padel Cup: NextGen triumphs in Boys’ and Girls’ categories

Winning while wearing the national team shirt is a special emotion, but achieving it while playing in your own country is even more significant. Egypt secured a historic double success at the first edition of the FIP Junior Africa Padel Cup, held in the Egyptian city of Alexandria, where it claimed victory in both the boys’ and girls’ categories, defeating Tunisia in the final in both cases.

The home NextGen team dominated the men’s title match, defeating Tunisia 2-0. In the first match, Aley Eino and Anthony Zaklama overcame Hambza Abassi and Yahya Marrakchi in two sets (6-1 6-2). The second match was decisive for the title: Zain Elbialy and Yassin Omar Youssef defeated Haroun Abassi and Malek Ben Othman comfortably with a double 6-2, securing the winners’ trophy for their country.

In the women’s draw, Egypt defeated Tunisia with a clear 3-0 victory. Natalie Robert and Sama Salem beat Dina Hicheri and Zayna Bouzayen with a double 6-0, the same scoreline that ended the match between the Egyptian pair Jaya Omar Youssef and Lily Wael against the duo of Alya Zayani-Zeineb Essedik. The final match was more balanced, however: Hana El Shalakany and Fatima Tawer Awad emerged victorious against Lilia Zayani-Maya Ftouh after a match decided in the third set following almost two hours of play (7-6 4-6 6-2).

This competition represented an important step in the expansion of Padel in Africa because, for the first time in history, the continent entered the FIP calendar for a youth team competition. This event was made possible thanks to the work of the Egyptian Padel Federation. The opening stages of the tournament and the inaugural ceremony, which brought together players, delegations and coaches, were among the key moments of recent days, creating an opportunity for unity. The relationship between the sport and the African continent will continue in the coming years: Egypt will in fact host the FIP Africa Padel Cup 2027.