The Sarajevo Masters tournament was organized as a gift to the padel community in the capital, with the organizers covering the entry fees for all participants to bring the sport closer to as many padel enthusiasts as possible and further develop the community. The competition was held just before April 6th, Sarajevo City Day, and over two days at the Hills Padel Center, 104 participants competed for the first prestigious Sarajevo Masters title in a "win or go home" format.
The entire event took place in an excellent sports atmosphere, featuring a large number of high-quality matches and uncertain finishes. Padel Tour BiH announced that this was the first major tournament under their organization and that they will continue with new tournaments and competitive leagues throughout the year, aiming to strengthen the padel scene in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The tournament also saw the participation of celebrated former Bosnian-Herzegovinian football national team players Vedad Ibišević, Ervin Zukanović, and Edin Cocalić, which further elevated the significance and appeal of the event. Vedad Ibišević’s performance particularly captured the audience's attention, as it marked his padel debut within the Sarajevo Masters.
"It was great, I’m thrilled. This was my first serious-level padel tournament. It was fantastic, we enjoyed it, all credit to the organizers, and I look forward to competing in future Padel Tour BiH tournaments," Ibišević stated, addressing the organizers and participants after the matches.
The pairs Igor Marjanović and Ahmed Musić, and Nur Hamza Peljto and Siniša Milošević reached the final. In a very exciting final duel, Milošević and Peljto emerged victorious with a score of 6:4, 7:6, becoming the first champions of the Sarajevo Masters tournament. The winning pair earned 1000 PTBiH points, while the runners-up Marjanović and Musić received 650 points for second place.
A special recognition for the tournament's best player (MVP) went to Nur Hamza Peljto, who displayed an exceptionally high level of play throughout the competition. His performance in the semifinal stood out, as his impressive moves drew numerous applause from the gathered audience and contributed to the overall tournament atmosphere.
The Sarajevo Masters was played in a knockout format. All matches, except the semifinals and final, were played as best-of-three sets, with a super tie-break in the deciding set. The semifinal and final matches added extra excitement as they were played as full third sets, bringing even more uncertainty to the finishes.
One of the interesting aspects of the tournament was the "star point" rule, which further heightened the intensity and drama during crucial moments of the matches. This provided the audience with more dynamic points and gave players an additional challenge in fighting for every ball.
The Sarajevo Masters also marks the beginning of the spring-summer season of Padel Tour Bosnia and Herzegovina, which will be part of the global Siux Even Padel Tour project. During the first three tournaments, players will have the opportunity to earn points to qualify for the final playoff in Spain, further increasing the significance of this competition and the entire season for padel in Bosnia and Herzegovina.