Premier Padel heads to Pretoria for South Africa's first tour event

Premier Padel touches down in South Africa for the first time next week. The Pretoria P1 runs from July 26 to August 2 at the SunBet Arena, inside the Time Square complex in Pretoria, and it is the country's first stop on the Qatar Airways Premier Padel Tour.

It arrives with extra weight. Organisers confirmed the event was upgraded from a P2 to a P1 earlier this year, lifting it to the tour's top tier. That puts 1,000 ranking points on the line and a prize pool of roughly 479,000 euros, about R10 million.

A first for South African padel

"This is a landmark moment not only for the tournament, but for South African sport as a whole," said Tobie Badenhorst, VP of Primedia Sport and the event's promoter. Qualifying begins on July 26, the main draw starts on the 27th, and both finals are set for August 2.

The men's draw holds 48 teams and the women's 28, with wildcard and qualifying places reserved for local players so South Africans get a run on home soil. As a mandatory P1, the event is expected to pull the tour's leading pairs, including men's world number ones Arturo Coello and Agustin Tapia, south for the week.

How to watch

Broadcasters lined up include Red Bull TV, ESPN Africa, Disney+ in South Africa and Canal+, with tickets sold through Ticketmaster. After the Malaga P1 wrapped up last weekend, Pretoria is the next date on a calendar that heads to London in early August.