Padel News May 13, 2026:
Victoria Kurz, Asunción and Buenos Aires.

The week in three answers

Victoria Kurz wins FIP Bronze Prishtina

The key DACH moment of the week came from Kosovo. According to the FIP, Victoria Kurz and Nati López Díaz won the women's final at FIP Bronze Prishtina 6-3, 6-2 against Louise Bahurel and Ivet Val López. The FIP also highlighted that Prishtina was the first historic CUPRA FIP Tour stop in Kosovo.

Kurz and López Díaz were the number-one seeds and, after FIP Bronze Cyprus I, collected their second joint title in a short period. For German padel, this is more than a footnote. Bronze events are not the largest Premier Padel stage, but they deliver exactly what developing players need: ranking points, international opponents and real pressure situations across several rounds.

For German players, every stable international run matters. The Prishtina title is therefore a strong signal, not just a result in the weekly list.

The tour perspective is also interesting. Kosovo is one of the new countries hosting an international calendar event in 2026. For players from Germany, Austria and Switzerland, that wider geographic spread can create more opportunities outside the classic padel markets of Spain, Argentina and Italy.

Asunción adds new tension at the top

At the Ueno Bank Asunción Premier Padel P2, Alejandro Galán and Federico Chingotto beat Arturo Coello and Agustín Tapia 6-3, 7-5 in the men's final. In the women's final, Paula Josemaría and Bea González came from a set down against Delfi Brea and Gemma Triay to win 4-6, 6-3, 6-3. According to the FIP, both winning pairs claimed their fourth title of the 2026 season.

The important point for this issue is the pattern behind the results. Galán and Chingotto confirmed that the 2026 men's race should not be read only through Coello and Tapia. Josemaría and González extended their run against Brea and Triay after previous wins in Miami, NewGiza and Brussels. The FIP also noted Josemaría's 50th career title.

There was a signal below the final pairings too: Edu Alonso and Aimar Goñi reached their first Premier Padel semi-final together, beating Franco Stupaczuk and Mike Yanguas among others.

The next stress test is already running

Right after Asunción, the tour moved to Argentina. According to the FIP, Buenos Aires Premier Padel P1 runs from May 10 to May 17, 2026 at Parque Roca. The main draw started on May 12 and the finals are scheduled for May 17. The men's draw has 48 pairs, the women's draw has 28 pairs, and the listed prize money is 479,068 euros.

Sportingly, Buenos Aires is interesting for two reasons. First, Coello and Tapia are defending last year's title. Second, Josemaría and González are chasing a fifth title in a row after Miami, NewGiza, Brussels and Asunción.

A nice youth moment came on the first main-draw day: Santino Contreras became the second-youngest player to debut in Premier Padel, four days after his 16th birthday.

Germany, Austria and Switzerland become more structured

Eye injuries in padel are real

The most important study of the week comes from sports medicine and ophthalmology. Aiello et al. published the study in Eye on April 20, 2026.

The results are clear: 60 people, or 10.3 percent, reported at least one eye injury related to padel. 55 of those 60 cases, or 92 percent, were attributed to ball contact. Among the injured participants, 25 percent described longer-lasting quality-of-life limitations, 15 percent longer-lasting visual-quality limitations and 10 percent reported eye surgery.

This was a voluntary online survey, not a complete injury registry. It does not prove an exact injury rate for all countries and levels. But it clearly shows that eye injuries in padel are not exotic. Clubs should actively address the topic instead of leaving it to chance.

Playing side is not neutral

A second study remains useful for training. González-Jiménez et al. examined the physical profiles of 14 high-level male padel players by court side and weekly training frequency. The study found higher Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test and estimated VO₂max values among left-side players, while weekly training frequency showed no significant effect on the measured variables.

Play the first bajada through the middle more often

The bajada is the attacking shot after the back glass. Many recreational players wait too long, contact the ball behind the body and still try a spectacular angle. That looks active but often becomes an easy counter ball.

The Padel School describes three key points: get behind the ball, give your body enough space and play aggressively through the middle. For hobby players, that target choice is valuable because it forgives more mistakes than the tight sideline channel.

1. The middle stays open longer than the extreme angle.

2. It forces both opponents to make a decision.

3. It makes it easier to move forward after the shot.

The ball matters more than many players think

This week, the equipment radar is not about a new racket but about the ball. The FIP lists the Wilson Premier Padel Speed for Asunción, Wilson Premier Padel and Wilson Premier Padel S for Buenos Aires, and Bullpadel Next Pro for the Italy Major in Rome.

This is not a buying recommendation. It is a reminder: ball model, temperature, humidity, indoor or outdoor conditions and surface all change the feel of the game. Tournament players should check the ball before competition and train at least one session with it.

What comes next

1. Buenos Aires Premier Padel P1

   Runs until May 17, 2026 at Parque Roca.

2. APU Bundesliga 2026

   Registration deadline May 15, final tournament October 24 to 26.

3. Swiss Tennis Padel Interclub

   Registration until the end of May, matchdays in late August and September.

4. FIP Bronze Hamburg

   June 1 to 7, 2026.

5. Padel Copa Hamburg

   Public event window from June 4 to 7 at Heiligengeistfeld.

6. Italy Major Rome

   June 1 to 7 at Foro Italico.

Key questions from the padel week

Main sources in this issue

The last two issues