Padel: The Japanese-Spanish pair easily defeated Indians Sharmada Balu and Prerana Prathap 6-1, 6-2. (X/@ZoomTV)
For Japanese padel player Kotomi Ozawa, the phrase “delivering under pressure” holds a deeper significance. The 26-year-old, who is partnering finance expert Elisabeth Nogueras Lorenz, faced relatively little pressure during the women’s semifinals of the FIP Promotion India Padel Open held at Bennett University in Noida on Saturday. They easily defeated Indians Sharmada Balu and Prerana Prathap 6-1, 6-2. They will face Spaniards Ainize Santamaria Landa and Aitana Solan Domenech for the women’s title on Sunday.
Before Ozawa dedicated herself to padel full time five years ago, she worked as an obstetric aide at Keio University Hospital in Tokyo. “It’s not only about facilitating birth. We care for both babies and mothers during and after pregnancy. I can’t even count how many people I have assisted,” she says with a beaming smile.
Like many padel players, Ozawa has a background in tennis. Padel, which is a mix of squash and tennis, is played on a much smaller court and does not involve the amount of physical rigour required in tennis, making it popular at club level.
When Ozawa transitioned from tennis to padel, she had to adjust her game and unlearn certain aspects of tennis. “Because of muscle memory, you have to unlearn and then learn again. Initially, it was difficult. I had to adapt to the corners and the walls, which took time,” she explains.
In addition to technical adjustments, Ozawa noted that the sport requires a change in tactical approach. “The court is smaller than in tennis, so we are closer to each other. This allows us to communicate effectively, whether we’re playing with beginners or professionals, which I enjoy. It’s not just about the first ball; we need to slow down and strategise on how to advance to the net, focusing more on offence than defence,” Ozawa elaborates.
Her Spanish partner, Lorenz, also played amateur tennis before switching to padel in 2014. With a degree in business administration and economics, she traded her corporate finance job for her passion for the sport. “I left my finance job. It was a different life, but this is better,” Lorenz shares.
*Results: Semifinals (Centre Court)
*Women’s:**
– Ainize Santamaria Landa & Aitana Solan Domenech (Spain) defeated Tulsi Mehta (India) & Banafsheh Moradi Shahpar (Iran) 6-0, 6-0.
– Kotomi Ozawa (Japan) & Elisabeth Nogueras Lorenz (Spain) defeated Sharmada Balu & Prerana Prathap (India): 6-1, 6-2.
*Men’s:
– Pol Alsina & Edu Altimires Ros (Spain) defeated Arya Roghani (Iran) & Hami Golestan (Sweden) 6-4, 6-1
– Arthur Hugounenq & Thomas Seux (France) defeated Chaitanya Shah & Vikram Shah (India) 6-0, 6-2
