In what felt like a seminal moment for padel, Team USA were crowned as the winners of the inaugural Anglo American Padel Cup, pipping Team GB to the title by a score of 53 to 43 points. Spanning two days of tense competition and intense rivalry, the Cup has lit the flame for an enduring transatlantic rivalry in padel and echoed the sporting spectacle of the recent Ryder Cup. With some of the best British and American padel talents on show at Padel Hub North London, the competition was not only a representation of the elite padel talent of these sporting nations, but a material indicator of the recent growth of the sport’s popularity in both countries.
The Cup in Action
With 64 of the best padel athletes from the US and UK on show, there was no doubt that the competition’s play was some of the best that both countries had to offer. It was Team USA who sprang out of the blocks on day one, amassing a comfortable 25-15 lead by the end of play. Ana Magrini and Lisa Teer co-captained an experienced – yet pioneering – American team, and it looked as if the competition’s second day would be theirs to lose. Yet, in the true nature of this transatlantic rivalry – and perhaps with an echo of recent events at Bethpage – it transpired that winning the Cup would not be so straightforward. Team Britain, led by Captains Cameron Dollimore and Eloise Tait, offered an explosive display of padel craftsmanship on Saturday morning, staging a comeback of epic proportions to lead 37-35 before the afternoon’s matches. But with the Cup seemingly drifting from Team USA’s grasp, a handful of crucial American victories saw them take a 44-40 points lead heading into the final round of matches. Ultimately, it was Men’s 60+ US number one pair of Ron Bobman and Tom Bartzen that secured victory for the visiting team in the penultimate match of the day, resulting in a thrilling climax to the Cup.
Despite the US team being the side that was taking home the crown, both sets of players were keen to stress the impact of the competition as a representation of the sport’s growth across the Atlantic. “We leave Great Britain with a trophy,” Team USA Women’s Co-Captains Ana Magrini and Lisa Teer explained, but “more importantly, our whole team leaves with new transatlantic friendships.” This idea of the Cup being more than just a competition was shared by Team GB Men’s Captain Dollimore, who conveyed to the media that “You see the ‘team’ ethos play out in other transatlantic competitions, and this weekend I got to witness that for myself.”. With this inaugural edition serving as a blueprint for future trans-Atlantic editions, the success of this first competition will lay the groundwork for a deep and sustained relationship between these two budding padel nations.
“You see the ‘team’ ethos play out in other transatlantic competitions, and this weekend I got to witness that for myself”
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Founders Reflect on The Cup’s Success
Despite the success of the Anglo American Cup as an on-court spectacle, what fans – and those following on social media – will see less is the dedication of its founders that made the event possible. The brainchild of Bill Ullman, Ben Nichols and Joelle Quinn, the triumvirate behind the Cup’s creation dreamt big and made that dream a reality by landing what many will see as the biggest moment for British and American padel to date. By securing Babolat and Playtomic – two brands with a strategic foot in the UK and USA – as co-title sponsors and attracting the best of both countries’ padel talent, they have laid the foundations for an exciting and sustainable competition format that could even be mirrored through other nations. “This event turned out to be many things,” they expressed after the final day’s action. “An extraordinarily exciting competition, a contest that added a new chapter to the historic sporting rivalry between the US and GB and a showcase for the amazing padel talent developing in both countries. Most of all, it was a celebration of the game of padel itself and people who play and love the sport”. The founders’ aim was to recreate the atmosphere, rivalry, and intensity of famous UK-US sporting competitions, but, in hindsight, they have achieved something much more powerful.
“Most of all, it was a celebration of the game of padel itself and people who play and love the sport”
The Cup’s Role in Shaping Padel’s Future
With the UK and U.S. both fast-growing padel markets, the Cup’s success represents the extent of the sport’s growth and hints at its exciting trajectory over the next half-decade. As the most significant international padel competition to date in which the countries have competed, the Anglo American Cup has left both players and fans salivating for the next edition, which will take place in the United States in 2026. In the meantime, however, the Cup’s role in increasing padel’s visibility will garner new fans, motivate aspiring athletes and prompt non-sporting companies to take a slice of the padel cake. The Cup has the power to shape the sport’s identity in the UK and USA in years to come; if the Ryder Cup is anything to go by, the future of padel – and the Anglo American Cup – certainly looks transformative for the sport.
