Is Vinny Di Francesco the Future of U.S. Padel?
I spent this past weekend at the Las Vegas Open to find out...
Editor’s Note: The following post is a (lightly edited) article penned by guest author Scott Matulis, a long-time public relations pro who was once the PR Director for the Worldwide Senior Tennis Tour. He discovered padel in Las Vegas in 2024 and can now hit balls off of the glass occasionally. He is the author of the LinkedIn and Substack serial novel The Applicant.
Current United States Padel Association (UPSA) No. 1 Vinny Di Francesco returned to Las Vegas, Nevada this past weekend with partner Ivo Andenmatten looking to win his third consecutive Division 1 title at the 2026 Playbypoint Las Vegas Open, a USPA 2000-level event, after winning it last year with Andenmatten and the year before that with Nicolas Agritelley.
“It’s incredibly important for us to be able to attract good young players like Vinny and Ivo to our event,” said Las Vegas Open tournament director Phil Martinez. “Padel is one of the fastest growing sports in the U.S. and putting on a high-level tournament with the best players is crucial to helping it grow and also to the success of our club.”
For a player still in his teens, Di Francesco’s résumé is filling up fast. He entered the tournament ranked No. 1 in the USPA’s men’s rankings, was part of the USA team that won the 2023 Pan-American Open Championship, and currently plays for the USPA National Team. He was also the top pick in this year’s Pro Padel League PPL 2 draft.
Di Francesco’s path isn’t the typical American one—although it could become a blueprint for future pro hopefuls. Born in New York to Argentine parents, he took a liking to padel by watching and playing with his father after his family moved back to Argentina.
The Road Less Traveled
“I started playing padel when I was seven with my dad, who would take me when he played,” Di Francesco explains. “I watched him first, and little by little I started taking classes and getting more serious. This was in Salta, Argentina. I don’t think we had that in the United States at the time.”
Di Francesco, who also played soccer and dabbled in swimming, soon dedicated himself fully to padel, entering the same pipeline that has produced world-class players like Agustín Tapia, Franco Stupaczuk, and Juan Ignacio de Pascual. Top-flight competition came quickly.
“When I was 12, I had already played in national junior tournaments and my first World Cup,” Di Francesco says. “I played my first professional event at 16.”
He trains in Argentina, but when he’s in America, he’s based in Miami. His brother Leo is a padel coach at a local padel club and he trains with his good friend and mentor José De Armas, who has taken Di Francesco under his wing.
De Armas, a former professional tennis player who is influential in the U.S. padel scene, has nothing but praise for Di Francesco.
As he explains:
“When he’s here, he’s based at my house. We train, but also I try to help him out as much as I can, and make his life a bit easier. He’s obviously a talented kid, and he has a great mindset, very mature for his age. He loves the game and as long as you love the game and are committed to it, then it’s perfect. The sky’s the limit, I think, for him.”
A Partnership That Clicked
Di Francesco’s partnership with Andenmatten, a 23-year-old Argentine, came together serendipitously. The two met at a FIP tournament in Mexico when Di Francesco discovered — just before registration closed — that his intended partner had signed up with someone else. Andenmatten happened to be standing nearby, and the two decided on the spot to play together.
While both typically play on the left side, Andenmatten shifted to the right, and the adjustment paid off. The pair won their first event together—the 2025 Las Vegas Open—defeating Nicolas Xiviller and Sergio Conde 7–6, 6–2 in the final.
They followed that up with another title at a USPA 1000 event in Mission, Texas, where they entered as the top seeds. After cruising through the early rounds and eking out a three-set semifinal win, they defeated Argentine standouts Leo “Tolito” Aguirre and Matías Almada in the final.
A Changing U.S. Padel Landscape
If Di Francesco represents the future of American padel, he’s also seen firsthand how quickly the present is evolving.
“When I played my first USPA tournament in 2024, it was very unbalanced,” he says. “There were maybe five very strong teams, and the rest were just starting out. But last year, the sport exploded in this country. Suddenly there were 12 or 15 teams that could compete. Now you can lose in the early rounds. That didn’t happen before.”
His partner Andenmatten has noticed the same trend:
“My first tournament in the U.S. was this one last year with Vinny. And I feel that from last year to this one, there has been a big change. There are a lot more players. The circuit became more competitive, and it’s continuing to grow with more tournaments across the USPA. I think the growth is very good.”
What Happens in Vegas…
Back at P1 Padel, things progressed smoothly for Di Francesco and Andenmatten, who advanced through their first four matches in straight sets.
But in the final, they faced third-seeded Daniel Díaz and José David Sánchez “Joseda” Serrano — a Spanish team that had previously beaten Di Francesco (alongside longtime training partner Juan Manuel “Guga” Vásquez) at a USPA 1000 event in Miami earlier this year.
In Vegas, the Spanish pair again proved too tough, playing an almost flawless match to win the title 6-1, 6-4.
“It was a combination of things,” Di Francesco said after the match. “We didn’t really have a great start and we could never get back into rhythm. And you know, they’re a great team and they played a great match. We just got outplayed.”
Despite the tough luck in the Las Vegas final, Di Francesco represents the vanguard of American padel.
“He’s always played for the U.S.” De Armas says. “He’s always wanted to represent the U.S. even though he’s Argentinian. We’re lucky to have him.”
You can follow Di Francesco on Instagram @difrancescovinny.
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