The inaugural UK PADEL Masters Series wrapped up at The Padel Hub Southampton on 7–8 March 2026, with twelve winning pairs crowned across six age categories. For the over-35 players who had been competing since October, it was the end of a season-long journey – and the beginning of what UK PADEL hopes becomes an annual fixture on the domestic calendar.
What was the UK PADEL Masters Series?
The UK PADEL Masters Series is the country’s first national competition circuit for players aged 35 and over, run across multiple qualifying rounds before a spring finals weekend. Six age categories – Over 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, and 60 – each with separate men’s and women’s draws, meaning twelve title categories in total.
For a fuller breakdown of the competition – how qualifying works, who can enter, and whether it might suit you – see our companion piece: UK PADEL Masters Series: what it is and why over-35 players should enter.
How the season unfolded
The 2025–26 series ran four qualifying rounds before the Southampton finals. Players competed at Rocket Padel in Bristol (October), a Fleet venue (November), a Harrogate event (January), and then – the detail that set over-35 competitive padel apart – a round held at Casa del Padel in Torre-Pacheco, Murcia, in February.
That Spain round was a marker of ambition. A domestic masters circuit that sends qualifying rounds abroad is rare in any racket sport, let alone one as young in the UK as padel. Pairs who qualified there did so with a trip to southern Spain attached – and carried that momentum into the finals.
Round 2 alone drew 160 players. By any standard, this was already a substantial competition.
The format at each qualifying round: 12 pairs per category, split into four groups of three, playing round-robin before semi-finals and a final. Winners and runners-up claimed automatic qualification for Southampton. The catch: finalists had to pre-commit before their semi-final – or concede their place. That commitment requirement was a deliberate design choice, ensuring the finals would be populated by pairs who had committed to being there.
The Southampton finals
The Padel Hub Southampton hosted the finals across Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 March. Eight pairs per age category competed, representing the qualifiers from all four rounds.
Twelve categories, twelve sets of winners.
| Category | Format |
|---|---|
| Over 35 Men’s | Finals at Padel Hub Southampton |
| Over 35 Women’s | Finals at Padel Hub Southampton |
| Over 40 Men’s | Finals at Padel Hub Southampton |
| Over 40 Women’s | Finals at Padel Hub Southampton |
| Over 45 Men’s | Finals at Padel Hub Southampton |
| Over 45 Women’s | Finals at Padel Hub Southampton |
| Over 50 Men’s | Finals at Padel Hub Southampton |
| Over 50 Women’s | Finals at Padel Hub Southampton |
| Over 55 Men’s | Finals at Padel Hub Southampton |
| Over 55 Women’s | Finals at Padel Hub Southampton |
| Over 60 Men’s | Finals at Padel Hub Southampton |
| Over 60 Women’s | Finals at Padel Hub Southampton |
One figure stood out: 50% of competitors at the finals were women. For a domestic competition in a sport where female participation can be an afterthought, that balance reflects how the Masters Series was designed – parallel draws at every age group, with equal weight given to both.
UK PADEL’s Director of Events, Mark Ayers, described the series as “the competition our Masters players have been waiting for – top-level competition, national visibility and the ultimate chance to prove who truly belongs among Britain’s best.”
CEO Nick Baker called it an “exciting new chapter,” with an eye on building Masters pathways toward national and international representation.
Why this inaugural year matters
The UK padel calendar has grown significantly since 2023 – the British Tour, the Four Nations, LTA county championships, Premier Padel events on British soil. But competitive padel for players in their 40s and 50s has developed more slowly. Most visible competition formats either skew young or treat age-group events as a secondary category behind Open draws.
The Masters Series does the opposite. It exists specifically for over-35 players. Every category has equal billing. The national finals format means there is something to qualify for – a clear end point that gives the whole season a shape.
Scale matters here too. Round 2 had 160 players across its categories. A 160-person masters padel event, running at a committed venue, in a country where the sport is barely a decade old, is a significant thing.
The Legends Padel Tour, aimed at players aged 59 and over, sold out its first two events within hours of launch. The demand for age-group formats is there. The Masters Series provides a structured answer to it.
What comes next
The 2026–27 season has yet to be announced, but UK PADEL’s stated direction is clear. When entry opens, it will be through ukpadel.org, with LTA rankings used for seedings (though entry is open regardless of ranking level).
If you are 35 or older, play regularly, and have a partner you can commit to for a season – this was built for you. The first twelve pairs of champions have been crowned. The 2026–27 season will have twelve more.
Check ukpadel.org for qualifying round announcements when the new season schedule is confirmed.