South African Padel Stars Secure Spots at Inaugural Pretoria Premier Padel P1

South Africa’s rising padel stars have secured their places at the inaugural Pretoria Premier Padel P1 after impressive performances at the Wildcard Tournament held at Net Set Padel in Sandton City from 12 to 14 June.

Linge Steenkamp and Zoe Kruger booked their place in the women’s main draw after defeating Marne Roos and Debbie van Aswegen 7-6, 6-4 in the final.

In the men’s competition, Richard Ashforth and Luan Krige claimed the title with a 6-7, 6-3, 6-4 victory over Adam Van Harte and Warren Kuhn. The top three men’s pairs—Ashforth and Krige, Van Harte and Kuhn, and Jason Blakey-Milner and Egmond van Heerden—have all qualified for the main draw of the tournament.

Roos and van Aswegen, along with Aidan Carrazedo and Tremayne Mitchell, and Jason Hewitt and Chevaan Davids, secured places in the qualifying rounds, where they will have another opportunity to reach the main draw.

The tournament also hosted the official Ball Kid Trials, with young participants assessed on their fitness, teamwork, professionalism and ability to perform under pressure. A shortlist has been identified, with the final ball kid squad set to be announced ahead of the event.

Tournament promoter Tobie Badenhorst said the weekend highlighted the rapid growth of padel in South Africa and demonstrated the country’s readiness to host its first Premier Padel event.

Pretoria Premier Padel P1 will take place from 26 July to 2 August 2026, bringing many of the world’s top players to South Africa for the first-ever Premier Padel tournament on African soil. The event will be broadcast internationally, with tickets available through Ticketmaster.