Tunisia Wins First-Ever International Padel Match at Mediterranean Games Debut

Tunisia has its first-ever padel win on the international stage. Mehdi Elloumi and Mohamed Aziz Helali beat Greece's Balafas and Sioulis 6-3, 6-3 on Saturday at the Mediterranean Games in Taranto, moving into the next round of the men's draw.

A first for Tunisian padel

Neither Elloumi nor Helali had played an international padel event before this week. Padel made its Mediterranean Games debut on August 22 as a full medal sport, and Tunisia fielded a team for the first time in either the men's or women's draw.

Team coach Elian Ruquet said the nerves were real early on. "It was a very, very important match: for Tunisia, it was the first time in an international competition, and at the beginning we were a little tense. But we did it," he said. Ruquet added that the atmosphere in Taranto had been "truly fantastic."

Games run through the month

The Taranto Games continue through August 28, with all three padel golds still to be decided. For a country with no prior padel presence on this stage, a win in front of a global broadcast audience is already a landmark, whatever happens in the rounds ahead.