Bordeaux's Premier Padel P2 opens in a chilled ice rink as France bakes in a record heatwave

Premier Padel's Bordeaux P2 main draw opens Tuesday, and the biggest story isn't the seeding. It's the weather. France is in the grip of a record heatwave, and the tournament's home, the Meriadeck ice rink, has turned into one of the coolest rooms in the city.

France's hottest days on record

Meteo-France called June 23 the country's hottest day since national records began, with 44.3C logged in the southwest. Bordeaux ran through three of its hottest days in more than a century this week, pushing past 42C. Red heat alerts covered most of the country's departments, and authorities have tied roughly a thousand excess deaths to the heat so far.

An ice rink earns its keep

Playing padel in that is dangerous. Organizers leaned on the venue's refrigeration plant, the same kit that freezes the rink in winter, to drag the indoor temperature down by about 15 degrees. Players, fans and staff get a break from the 42 to 43C outside while the matches run.

Coello and Tapia headline

The padel still matters. World number ones Arturo Coello and Agustin Tapia top the men's draw and open with a bye, fresh off defending their Valladolid title. Alejandro Galan and Federico Chingotto sit right behind them. Men's first-round play starts Tuesday evening, with the finals set for Sunday, July 5.

The field is strong. The forecast is the opponent nobody can break down.