Helsingborg, a key week for Swedish padel
The starting point was Helsingborg. From March 18 to 22, the city played host to the FIP Bronze Sweden I, a €12,000 stage of the CUPRA FIP Tour held at the Katedralen Padel Club. On the court, the men’s draw offered one of the best stories of the weekend, with Nicolas Zurita and 17-year-old Samu Rivas winning the final against top seeds Víctor Mena and Marcos González after a thrilling match. In the ladies’ category, Mónica Gómez and Claudia Escacena confirmed their momentum with a second consecutive title, this time over Lara Arruabarrena and Marina Lobo.
The event’s importance in the Swedish padel landscape is not only due to its winners. Helsingborg brought together a number of Nordic pairs or those with a strong local following, including Simon Vasquez and Victor Forsberg, Daniel Windahl and Daniel Appelgren, and Albin Olsson and Oscar Sebber Gormsen. At the same time, the city also hosted a FIP Promises event from March 20 to 22, giving the week a real sporting depth, from the international circuit to the young categories.
Karlstad takes over with a packed line-up and big match-ups to watch
The baton has now been passed to Karlstad, where the Karlstad Padelklubb is hosting a new leg of the Swedish Padel Tour at Nordic Wellness Karlstad Strand from Friday to Sunday. The Swedish federation has announced that 170 players will compete over the weekend in SPT and other sanctioned classes. In the women’s draw, Amanda Girdo and Linnea Björk arrive as real favorites, but the draw also suggests a tough semifinal against Maria Garcia-Rasmussen and Martina Minetti. In the other half, Lisa Andersson and Hanna Börjesson are among the pairs to watch, as are Juni Sjöland and Sofia Arvidsson. The first-round match-up between Filippa Vial/Cornelia Lister Haglind and Silje Kjaergaard/Zoe Andersson is another big match-up capable of immediately setting the tone.
On the men’s side, the dominance of the field is more open than obvious. Victor Forsberg and Simon Vasquez naturally top the big match-up, while Willy Släryd and Finland’s Joa Takala, Johan Fors and Pablo Figueroa, as well as Daniel Windahl and Daniel Appelgren, add depth to the weekend. In the lower half, Simon Yitbarek and Linus Frost are among the pairings capable of shaking up the hierarchy, while Albin Olsson and Oscar Sebber Gormsen arrive with the perfect spoilsport profile. This is where Karlstad becomes more than just a national stopover: many of the names seen in Helsingborg are immediately back in action, directly extending the FIP Bronze dynamic.
A second highlight for Swedish padel
In the space of two weekends, Sweden strung together an international FIP stopover, a youth event and then a major fixture on the national circuit. For padel in Sweden, this kind of continuity is invaluable: it exposes local players, densifies the calendar and gives clarity to both the public and circuit followers. With the official presentation of Karlstad, the Swedish federation clearly assumes this promotion. Helsingborg was therefore not an isolated episode, but the start of a sequence that could quickly become a major factor in the Nordic spring hierarchy.
To remember:
- Helsingborg hosted a €12,000 FIP Bronze from March 18 to 22, won by Zurita/Rivas and Gómez/Escacena.
- Karlstad takes over from Friday to Sunday with a stage of the Swedish Padel Tour and 170 players announced.
- Girdo/Björk in the ladies’ category and a wide-open men’s field give this weekend a real sporting dimension.
