Manila: Filipino padel athlete Jessica Agra reached a major career milestone this month after breaking into the Top 150 of the International Padel Federation (FIP) world rankings at No. 145, her highest placement so far. “I couldn’t be happier reaching the top 150. I’ve been taking it one step at a time, and it’s rewarding to see the hard work paying off,” Agra said in an interview on Saturday.

According to Philippines News Agency, Agra recently competed in back-to-back FIP tournaments in Asia. Teaming up with Japan’s Yoshino Kushima, the duo made it to the quarterfinals of the FIP Silver tournament in Chengdu, China, facing a tough match against No. 4 seeds Lucia Micaela Fernandez Lopez of Spain and Anastasia Ryzhova. The pair had earlier defeated strong teams from China and Hong Kong.

A week later, Agra partnered with Spain’s Maria Mayoral Estrada in the FIP Bronze event in Tokyo, Japan, advancing to the semifinals before facing the eventual champions Rosalie Van Der Hoek of the Netherlands and Camila Ramme Coellar of Mexico. “We won against a Japanese team in the round of 16 and an Indonesian pair in the quarterfinals, one of them a former Top 150 WTA player in doubles. I really enjoyed playing with my partner Maria,” Agra said.

Agra, a member of the Philippine Padel Association, founded by Alenna Dawn Magpantay, will represent the Philippine team in the 2025 FIP Asia Cup. She shared her plans to join more events to gain additional FIP points. “I’m considering going to Europe this August to train and play FIP tournaments. I am also planning to play the FIP tournaments organized by Asia Padel Events, with the next one being the FIP Bronze in Koh Samui, Thailand, this September,” Agra added.

Padel, a racket sport of Mexican origin, combines elements of tennis and squash and is typically played in doubles on an enclosed court surrounded by walls of glass and metallic mesh.