Summary First Day of the 2024 Padel World Cup in Qatar
The opening day of the 2024 Padel World Championship in Qatar was immediately exciting and intense. The Dutch men started strongly against Portugal, but despite their efforts they lost all three games, ending with a 3-0 defeat. The Dutch women were more successful; they defeated Belgium after three exciting, evenly matched games, with each game decided in a third set.
The German women also made a strong impression by beating Chile for the third time in a row at a World Cup. These were again exciting matches, and as player Victoria Kurz notes at the bottom of the article, the German team was prepared for a tough battle.
France impressed on the first day by winning convincingly in both the women's and men's events, each with a clear 3-0 score. With this strong start for several teams, the tournament promises plenty of spectacle in the coming rounds.
Top teams such as Argentina, Spain, Brazil and Portugal confirmed their favorite status with impressive victories and strong play. It promises to be an exciting tournament in which every team will have to give it their all!
Results women day 1
Ladies
INTERVIEWS WITH THE PLAYERS OF THE GERMAN TEAM & THE DUTCH LADIES TEAM
Victoria Short
After the first match day, we spoke to German player Victoria Kurz, who had an exciting encounter with Chile with her team. Victoria was pleased with their performance and spoke enthusiastically about her own contribution.
"I have a good feeling about the matches," says Victoria. "I managed to win my own match in the third set, which gave us a 2-0 lead. Unfortunately, we lost the last match, but we are very happy with this result. We knew that these would probably be long, intense matches, but we kept fighting."
Looking ahead to the next day, when they will face Brazil, Victoria says with a smile: "As I said, tomorrow we have Brazil on the schedule, and we're going to do everything we can to pull off a stunt there!"
With this determined attitude, Germany will start the next round full of confidence.
Interview Bo Luttikhuis player Dutch team
After the first day of the women's matches, we spoke with Bo Luttikhuis, who together with her team represents the Netherlands at the Padel World Championship. Bo shared her experiences and looked back on the exciting day.
"I was allowed to start the first match myself," says Bo, who came into action together with her partner Liza Groeneveld. "At the beginning of the match, Liza and I had to get used to the circumstances. We lost the first set quite easily, but fortunately we managed to turn it around and eventually win the match."
The second match was played by Steffie Weterings and Marcella Koek, who unfortunately lost in a thrilling third set against a strong Belgian pair. The pressure was therefore on the last match, and the Netherlands managed to cash in on that, securing the victory.
“We were so happy with this win, and I'm really proud of my team,” Bo added with a smile.
This positive start gives the Dutch women courage and energy for the upcoming matches at the World Cup.
Results men day 1:
Gentlemen
JULIAN PRINS [DUTCH TEAM PLAYER] Looks back on day 1:
After the first match day we spoke briefly with Julian Prins about the performance of the Dutch men's team. Julian looked back on the day and the match against Portugal, where he had mixed feelings about the course.
"We have a good feeling about the matches, but of course there is always room for improvement," says Julian. "We knew we had to work hard against Portugal. I have played better myself," he admits. "I started the match a bit too cautiously and had to get used to the conditions there, but fortunately it got better and better."
Julian also spoke about the absence of Youp de Kroon, which he said gave him a strange feeling during the tournament: "It remains a strange idea to me that Youp is not here, but I have every confidence that I can achieve good results together with my team."
Looking ahead to the second match day, where the Netherlands will face Brazil, Julian is optimistic but realistic. We will have to work hard for it. We will do everything we can to make this happen!"
With this determined attitude, the Dutch men's team is ready for their next challenge at the Padel World Cup.
Stay tuned!
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