FIP Junior Asia Padel Cup 2026:
Iran rallies past Kuwait to win boys’ crown
Iran came from behind to defeat Kuwait in the final and secure the boys’ title at the FIP Junior Asia Padel Cup 2026 in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Saturday.
The victory capped a successful campaign for the country, following the Iranian girls’ team’s victory over Australia to claim the bronze medal earlier in the day.
Iran got off to a shaky start in the boys’ final as Parsa Zolfaqari and Alireza Haj-Mollaheydari suffered a 2-0 (6-1, 6-2) defeat to Kuwait’s Abdulrahman Bineedan and Ziad Tifouni in the under-14 contest.
Amir-Taha Dehqani and Ramtin Rafei drew Iran level after bouncing back from a first-set defeat in a tiebreak to win the next two sets 6-3, 6-4 against Yaqoub Zainal and Sayed Hashem Almazeedi in the under-16 showdown, forcing the final into an under-18 decider.
Iran head coach Arsalan Mohammadi fielded Alireza Taqizadeh and Mehrad Mansouri for the decisive match, and the duo delivered by beating Ali Reda and Sulaiman Qabazard in straight sets (6-3, 6-4) to clinch the title.
In the women’s bronze-medal match, Yasamin Hassani and Armita Ezzatnejad gave Iran an early advantage by thrashing the Australian pair of Evelyn Daisy Ferguson and Frankie Avalon Smith 2-0 (6-0, 6-1) in the under-14 contest.
Iran coach Sahabeh Fard then fielded Romina Rafei and Bahar Haj-Mollaheydar for the second doubles match, with the duo also winning in straight sets (6-2, 6-1) against Ava Garner and Hope Johns as Iran bounced back from its semifinal defeat to Indonesia in style.
Also featuring Jana Safi, Delan Bitarafan, Helia Aqili, Nila Rahimi and Arghavan Amirkhanlou, the Iranian team opened its campaign with a victory over Australia before defeating the Philippines 3-0 to reach the semifinals.