- World No1 Coello and World No2 Tapia will face inaugural tournament’s third-seeded pairing Lebron-Di Nenno; No2 seeds Chingotto-Galan meet No4 seeds in last four tie
- Three of women’s top four seeds also through to final four, with World Champions Sanchez Fallada and Josemaria Martin to race No3 seeds Brea Senesi and Gonzalez Fernandez
Dubai, United Arab Emirates – 8 November 2024: World No1 Arturo Coello and World No2 Agustin Tapia will face No3 seeds Juan Lebron and Martin Di Nenno in the semi-finals of the inaugural Dubai Premier Padel P1 on Saturday after all four of the tournament’s top seeds booked their place in what promises to be an engrossing penultimate day. Defying the usual unpredictability of elite sport, the women’s doubles competition has also seen three of its top four seeds secure spots in the final four.
Solidifying their status as the top-ranked team in what has been a thrilling tournament thus far, No1 seeds Coello and Tapia overcame Jose Rico and Agustin Gutierrez 7-6(1), 6-4 under the bright lights of Centre Court at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium. While Tapia arrived in Dubai having helped Argentina win the FIP World Championships in Qatar, Coello is the youngest player in the history of padel to reach World No1.
“We are confident,” said Tapia, who will now face Lebron and Di Nenno after watching them battle their way past Jeronimo Gonzalez and Eduardo Alonso 7-6(5), 1-6, 6-4. “The conditions are not very easy, but we were able to adapt and are happy because we are doing a great job as a team, especially because now when things don’t go perfectly that is when you can see what a team we are. It is very nice to be in this spectacular city, so there is also a pressure of wanting to do well here and obviously we are very happy to be in the semi-finals,”
In the other semi-final, No2 seeds Federico Chingotto of Argentina and Spain’s Alejandro Galan confirmed their place in the final four with a 7-6(2), 6-2 win over ninth-seeded Alejandro Arroyo and Alejandro Ruiz in front of a growing and passionate crowd. Despite getting an early break, Chingotto and Galan were made to fight for the first set, but reached a level of fluidity out with their opponents’ grasp in the second.
“The beginning of the match was good, but our opponents are a tough team and they matched our level, so the end of the first set was tough,” said Chingotto, who was also part of Argentina’s FIP World Championships winning team. “Thankfully, myself and Ale managed to work together as a unit tonight, found the right shots, started to play better, and managed to get the win to progress.”
Galan added: “I am the player who was making the big points tonight, but it is Fede who puts me in that position close to the net. We fight together, in union, and that is key because if it was not for that union you can be sure we would not be in another semi-final. It is a big honour to be here in Dubai, it’s always a pleasure, and I look forward to the next round.”
The pair will now face No4 seeds Franco Stupaczuk and Miguel Yanguas, who were also made to battle through a first-set tie-break before closing out their quarterfinal against No6 seeds Jorge Nieto and Jon Sanz 6-6(4), 6-2.
Meanwhile, earlier in the day, women’s World No1 pairing Ariana Sanchez Fallada and Paula Josemaria Martin – fresh from winning the FIP World Championships in Qatar last week — secured their place in the final four in under an hour with a comfortable 6-0, 6-3 win over No7 seeds Tamara Icardo Alcorisa and Claudia Jensen Sirvent. The Spanish pair made light work of their opponents on Centre Court, but are likely to face a tougher challenge on Saturday as they come up against No3 seeds Delfi Brea Senesi and Beatriz Gonalez Fernandez.
“The game changes a lot depending on the time of day, but we have been adapting and the truth is that today we have shown a great level,” said Sanchez Fallada. “We know we have to keep working and continue to be at this level though if we are to finish as World No1 at the end of the year.”
Asked for her thoughts on Dubai as the city hosts its first P1 event on the Premier Padel Tour, Sanchez Fallada added: “Dubai is a city that has grown a lot. There is more and more sport and padel culture. Padel has grown a lot here and we are very happy to be competing; they always treat us great, so we are very happy.”
Brea Senesi and Fernandez enjoyed total dominance in their own last-eight tie on Court One, beating No8 seeds Aranzazu Osoro Ulrich and Veronica Virseda 6-0, 6-2 inside 55 minutes. The result gives Brea Senesi an early chance to banish memories of last month’s Paris Major Premier Padel final where she and Andrea Ustero Prieto lost to Sanchez Fallada-Martin 6-4, 6-0.
Ustero Prieto will also be in action in the final four here, having progressed to the semi-finals in the opposite half of the women’s draw. Playing alongside Alejandra De Villa, she helped eliminate fifth-seeded pairing Jessica Castello Lopez and Alejandra Salazar Bengoechea in the Round of 16 and added another big scalp on Friday, beating No4 seeds Marta Ortega Gallego and Sofia Araujo 7-6(4), 6-4. Next up for them is second seeds Gemma Triay Pons and Claudia Fernandez Sanchez, the World’s No3 and No4-ranked players respectively.
The week-long Dubai Premier Padel P1 is taking place under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Sports Council, and is a collaborative effort supported by the UAE Padel Association (UAEPA), the Department of Economy and Tourism (DET), Dubai Sports Council (DSC), Premier Padel, and Gallop Global. Tickets are on sale now at PlatinumList.net priced from Dh60.
