MANILA, Philippines – Padel Pilipinas’ grassroots and junior athletes delivered strong performances at the Play Padel Greenfield Open 2026, held from October 22 to 25, securing two division titles and a third-place finish across the Men’s Gold, Men’s Bronze, and Women’s Bronze categories.

Leading the result is grassroots junior 19-year-old Gio Manito, and partner Jack Cruz, who claimed the Men’s Gold title after overcoming strong competition in back-to-back three-set matches. With Talisay City, Cebu as his home court, Manito belongs to the first batch of athletes in Padel Pilipinas’ grassroots program in the city, making his championship win a notable milestone in his development as a young athlete.

The pair mounted an impressive comeback in the semifinals, defeating defending champions Antoine Boutain and Juan Thomas De Carranza, 0-6, 6-1, 6-4. The victory marked a turnaround from their previous encounter in the Padel Pilipinas Open 2026 finals in August. They carried that fighting form into the final, rallying past French-Spanish duo Amaury Brucker and Enrique Marchán, 3-6, 7-5, 6-4, to secure the championship.

In the Men’s Bronze division, Taguig Padel Juniors 16-year-old Abdulracman Pangcoga and 18-year-old Hanie Omar claimed their first tournament title after a hard-fought final against Carlo Principe and Firas Abdulriham. The pair prevailed in three sets, 6-4, 2-6, 7-6(4), holding their nerve in the deciding-set tiebreak to clinch the win.

Meanwhile, 13-year-old Lailah Al-Mosa and 12-year-old Althea Panarigan secured third place in the Women’s Bronze division with a 6-3, 6-2 victory.

Notably, Padel Pilipinas’ junior athletes competed alongside adult players across multiple divisions, demonstrating their ability to participate in a competitive environment beyond junior-specific tournaments. These results underscore the continued development of the federation’s grassroots program, which aims to introduce the sport to more communities and create pathways for aspiring athletes to progress into competitive play. Since 2023, Padel Pilipinas has been conducting nationwide grassroots clinics.

A key part of this effort is making padel more accessible through public playing facilities. In August 2025, in partnership with the local government of Talisay City, Padel Pilipinas opened the first padel courts in Cebu and the first public padel courts in the Philippines, where Manito was introduced to the sport.

Recently, Padel Pilipinas conducted a three-day grassroots and coaches training series on the public padel courts of Ormoc City, Leyte, the home to the second public padel club in the Philippines.