Dutch delight in Dronten as Meijer claims memorable title

A special final, played just an hour from home, won alongside a fellow Dutch player against a long-time former partner. Bram Meijer enjoyed an unforgettable weekend at the FIP Bronze in Dronten, the Netherlands, where he and Menno Nolten upset several higher-seeded opponents, including second seeds Simone Cremona and Antonio Luque in the quarter-finals (7-6 6-2) and fourth seeds Sam Roper and Lorenzo Caiano in the semi-finals (6-3 6-4). In the final, Meijer – who comes from Almelo, less than 100 km from Dronten – found himself on the opposite side of the net from Sten Richters, with whom he won six CUPRA FIP Tour titles between 2022 and 2024. This time, Meijer came from a set down to defeat his former partner and Sweden’s Albin Olsson (4-6 7-6 6-4), completing a perfect week.

 

“What a weekend! We fought until the very end and produced a really high level of padel. We can be proud of what we achieved,” said Meijer after the victory. “A huge thank you to Rene Lindenbergh for the coaching and for all the time and energy he dedicates to us, both on and off the court. And a heartfelt thank you to all the fans – your support really made the difference!”. He also had words for his opponents: “Sten, Albin, the disappointment will be hard right now, but you played at an incredibly high level. Maximum respect!”.

 

Dutch success also came close in the women’s draw, where home players Stephanie Weterings and Janine Hemmes were beaten in the final by Spain’s Lucia Perez and Portugal’s 2006-born Clarinha Santos (3-6 6-2 6-4). Both Perez and Santos return to winning ways just over a month after claiming their previous CUPRA FIP Tour titles, at the FIP Silver Dubai and the FIP Bronze Dakar respectively.