This weekend, the top eight men's and top four women's players in the Estonian Padel Association rankings were invited to take part in the 2025 Estonian Padel Masters tournament in Tallinn.

In the women's event, former WTA No. 2 Anett Kontaveit and her partner Nora Leinus secured first place after winning on aggregate points. On Thursday evening, Kontaveit and Leinus defeated Kaia Kanepi and Jelena Kalve, while on Friday they overcame Gendra Raag and Desire Pärn.

Leinus, 19, said the tournament victory was assured because she had the right partner.

"Nora is too kind: the victory came because she had the right partner, but also because I chose the right partner," laughed Kontaveit. "

Nora is playing at a really, really good level, she's very good, and I rarely find time to practice. Nora covered 75 percent of the court today and I was just in the right place at the right time," added the former WTA No.2.

"Nora also played tennis when she was young. Padel is a fairly young sport in Estonia, and I don't even know if we have players who have only played padel," Kontaveit said.

"We have brough in foreign coaches and players who will definitely help to improve the level. The boom is just beginning for us, but in some countries this sport has been played for a number of years. They definitely have a big advantage over us, but it's really cool how padel has taken hold of people's imaginations. It's a social and fun sport that's easy to get started in."

Anett Kontaveit only faced Kaia Kanepi on court once during their professional tennis careers. The two Estonians met in the semi-finals of the WTA 250 tournament in Tallinn in fall 2022, with Kontaveit winning 6-4,6-4.

They met again on Thursday, with Kontaveit and Leinus running out 6-4, 6-2 winners.

"In tennis, I definitely took things much, much more seriously," Kontaveit said. "I have to realize that since I really rarely get to padel practice, I can't expect I-don't-know-what results and skills from myself.

"I take things much more calmly and Kaia has always looked very calm. I think there was a very friendly atmosphere. Padel is completely different, you also pat each other on the back when you change sides. In tennis, there's a more competitive atmosphere on the court."

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