Coello, Tapia enter Dubai Premier Padel P1 final

In front of a packed-out, noisy crowd, world padel’s four top-ranked men’s players on Saturday night provided a masterclass in the fast-growing racquet sport to successfully negotiate their respective semi-finals and set up a mouthwatering final at Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium.

World No.1 Arturo Coello and World No.2 Agustin Tapia saw off the challenge of No.3 seeds Juan Lebron and Martin Di Nenno to extend their record-breaking winning streak on the Premier Padel Tour to 27 matches. Delivering a series of bombastic smashes, laser-perfect lobs, and reactive net-play throughout the 74-minute tie, Coello-Tapia proved too good as they sealed a 7-5, 6-1 victory to reach their 11th consecutive final and 16th trophy-match of the 2024 Premier Padel season.

You must go as far back as April’s P2 in Sevilla to find a tournament in which the formidable pairing did not reach the final. Since then, they have taken seven titles from 10 tournaments and done so while facing the same two opponents in every final.

It will be those same familiar faces staring back at them over the net in Dubai tonight after World No.3 Alejandro Galan and World No.4 Federico Chingotto booked their place in the final with a 7-5, 6-3 win over Franco Stupaczuk and Miguel Yanguas. Galan-Chingotto have an unbroken streak of reaching the final in all 13 tournaments since partnering, yet despite the impressive feat, such is the dominance of Coello-Tapia that they are without a title since June’s P2 in Genoa.

While Chingotto conceded after winning his semi-final that he would prefer to avoid Coello-Tapia in the final, when Coello conducted his post-match interview, he said he and Tapia are “very happy to be in another final tomorrow against Ale and Chingo”.

Tapia added: “I am very happy with the work of the team. We know how united we are. This animal [Coello] makes me play well in the important and unimportant points. The truth is that without him it would be very difficult. I think the final match will be very good.” Chingotto, who helped lead Argentina to the FIP World Championships last week in Qatar, added: “We haven’t been at our best so far this tournament, but I feel that with our team helping us constantly, we have managed to find another gear when necessary,” said Chingotto. “A lot of preparation goes into matches, so we know how to adapt to the conditions, to the opponent, and we always fight for every point.”

Earlier in the day, Alejandra Alonso de Villa broke down in tears after she and Andrea Ustero Prieto secured their spot in the inaugural Dubai women’s final.

The Spanish duo have had to do things the hard way this week, facing No.5 seeds Jessica Castello Lopez and Alejandra Salazar Bengoechea in the Round of 16, before overcoming fourth-seeded pairing Marta Ortega Gallego and Sofia Araujo in the quarterfinals.

On Saturday, in the first of four matches on Centre Court, the unseeded Ustero-Alonso faced No2 seeds Gemma Triay Pons and Claudia Fernandez Sanchez, dispatching the World No3 and No4 respectively in straight sets 6-4, 6-4.

For Alonso, who collapsed in joy when her opponent found the net at set-point, the result was especially poignant as tomorrow will mark the 18-year-old’s first Premier Padel final. It comes after several months battling her way back from injury.

“This is a very special day for me – I will remember it forever,” Alonso told fans on centre court, trying – and failing – to hold back her tears. “It has been tough these past few months, so standing here now, having qualified for my first P1 final, it is very emotional.”