Philippine Lawyer Jessica Agra Tops Asia Pacific Padel Tour Rankings

MANILA — Jessica Agra, a professional padel player and practicing lawyer, has risen to become the number one ranked player in the Asia Pacific Padel Tour (APPT) women’s rankings, following her recent performance at the Bali Open in Indonesia.

According to Philippines News Agency, Agra accumulated a total of 2980 points after finishing as runner-up in the Bali tournament, where she and her partner Maria Mayoral Estrada of Spain were defeated by Albina Khabibulina of Kazakhstan and Constanza Kokorelis of Portugal with scores of 3-6, 3-6. The pair of Estrada and Kokorelis, along with Patricia Garcia, now hold the second place in the rankings with 2600 points each. Meanwhile, Indonesian siblings Beatrice and Sandy Gumulya are ranked fifth and sixth, respectively.

Agra expressed her pride in representing the Philippines and seeing the national flag at the top of the APPT rankings. “I have been working hard to improve my game and to perform better in the APPT tournaments, and it feels great to finally see the Philippine flag at the top of the recently released rankings,” Agra said. She also noted her excitement about representing her country in future competitions.

The 32-year-old Agra, an Ateneo law school graduate, has shown a consistent rise in the APPT rankings, climbing from sixth to second place in May after securing her first tour title at the Phuket Open in Thailand. Alongside Beatrice Gumulya, Agra defeated the Chinese duo of Michelle Wu and Zhaiya Chaiu with a decisive 6-0, 6-4 victory. Her performance has been strong throughout the season, including reaching the semifinals at both the Hong Kong Grandslam and the Vietnam Open in Ho Chi Minh City.

With additional legs of the APPT scheduled to take place in Singapore, Tokyo, Japan, and Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Agra remains a prominent figure to watch in the upcoming events.