The II Standard Bank Padel Open 5000 was presented this Tuesday, late afternoon, in Talatona, at a press conference that included the tournament draw.
"Padel has grown significantly throughout the world and, in particular, in Angola. By promoting this tournament, we aim to further promote the sport in the country, encouraging its practice and providing an environment of healthy competition and networking between athletes, families and friends", said Carolina Vasconcelos, SBA's marketing and brand director.
According to her, the bank's objective is to "continue investing in the sport, not only in Angola, but also in Africa".
"Standard Bank is the largest African bank and is based in several countries on this continent. In time, we also want to take Angolan padel players across borders, so that the country can be represented in other geographies. Our commitment is to continue working to promote Angola, not only in the banking sector, but also in sport".
The Standard Bank Padel Open 5000, which comprises three men's levels (M1, M2 and M3) and three women's levels (F1, F2 and F3), takes place daily on the eight padel courts at the Premier Padel Club, with over 285 matches being played in just one week. In just two days (Saturday and Sunday), 190 matches are played, something "never before done in Angola".
"It is an ambitious calendar. After the success of the first edition, which had a major impact on the development of the sport in Angola, the challenge for this second edition was huge. We are confident that it will be another great success", stated Nelson Oliveira, director of the event, adding that the tournament is part of COPA - the Organising Committee of Padel in Angola, with players having registered according to their classification in the sport's ranking.
As for the tournament format, in each level of play there is a group of seeded players and a group of unseeded players. In the first phase of the tournament, the pairs from each group will play three games in a random format, with the aim of qualifying for the next phase. The 16 pairs with the highest score in each level will qualify for the second phase, which will be a knockout phase, until the winner of each level is determined.
This year, the Standard Bank Padel Open 5000 will feature a new and pioneering experience in Angola: the 'tie-breaker'. "In addition to the initial phase, in which all pairs are guaranteed to play at least three games, the tournament includes a 'tie-breaker'. That is, since there are very even games in which the pairs only lose by a slight difference in points, we will challenge these pairs to play one more game – which does not count towards classification – as an opportunity for revenge", explained Nelson Oliveira.
The padel community in Angola has been growing significantly over the last few years and, in Luanda alone, there are currently between 80 and 100 padel courts. One of the most recent is the Premier Padel Club, which opened on 25 January 2025 and will host the second edition of the Standard Bank Padel Open 5000.
"With the opening of this venue, the only one with indoor padel courts in Angola, our aim was to further promote this sport and its growth in the country," said Pedro Rodrigues, head of the Premier Padel Club.
In this vein, Carolina Vasconcelos added and highlighted that the Standard Bank Padel Open 5000 will be "more than just a padel tournament, it will be a moment of socialising and sharing". "Padel, above all, is a social sport. Even so, these tournaments also help us to professionalize the sport. Competition, if it is healthy, is very positive. And, as it counts towards the COPA ranking, it also allows athletes to improve, develop and become professionals", he concluded.
