Dutch Players cannot stunt on 'Dutch Day', Tapia and Coello surprisingly eliminated

That Meijer and Richters lost to top international players from Spain was no disgrace, but a pity on a day when no fewer than three Dutch duos entered the centre court. Earlier in the day, Uriël Maarsen and Bart van Opstal and Steffie Weterings and Marcella Koek also failed to cause a resounding surprise.

'The difference is that you get back two, three or four balls more than you are used to,' said Richters', about the world number 30 and 49 they faced. 'You get the feeling you have to do something extra each time because of that, which also makes more mistakes creep into your game.' Richters and Meijer themselves are still far outside the top-100 of the WTP ranking.

The goal of the Netherlands' best male couple is to work towards a place among the best 100 padel players in the world. 'If you then play against players from the top-50, they can do something. Just imagine how good those guys are who are on court now,' Meijer said, while Spaniard Arturo Coello and Argentine Agustin Tapia were playing their match on centre court.

The world number one lost surprisingly on day one of the World Padel Tour Decathlon Amsterdam Open. They had to take on Alejandro Arroyo and Gonzalo Rubio in three sets in a match that was as rivetingly exciting as it was high-level. The audience was on the edge of their seats until the last moment.

The padel fans who had come en masse to AFAS Live were treated to more than enough spectacle on Wednesday anyway. On the opening day of the World Padel Tour Decathlon Amsterdam Open in the AFAS Live, the world's top eight padel players in the men's category competed. Earlier in the day, Di Nenno and Stupaczuk, Galán and Lebron, and Chingotto and Navarro entered the centre court. From the oh's and ah's that rolled from the stands with some regularity, it was evident that the Dutch audience had not seen certain points in real life before.

Although the Dutch couples could not pull off a stunt, they all enjoyed the atmosphere in the AFAS Live. 'The ambience was really great and the venue is beautiful,' Meijer said. 'It is only the second edition in the Netherlands and everything is already arranged so well and professionally. This way, the Netherlands will be put on the map within the padel world. I know that for sure.'