Arturo Coello and Agustín Tapia came back from a set down at Sunday’s Qatar Airways Premier Padel Mexico Major final in Acapulco – the birthplace of padel – to win their 40th consecutive match, eighth title in a row and confirm their number one status in the season end rankings as Gemma Triay Pons and Claudia Fernández Sánchez also battled back to win their first 2024 women’s Major. Here is all you need to know:
– Coello and Tapia only just scraped through into Sunday’s Mexican final and it looked like their incredible run would end after Miguel Yanguas and Franco Stupaczuk took the first set 6-4, however they dug deep to race through the next two sets 6-1 6-2. Tapia, 25, said: „An unforgettable week. Thanks to all those who support us. This tournament is very special. This week I realised that this is my favourite tournament of the year.“
– The number one seeds cruised through their first three matches, but looked in real trouble against Juan Lebrón and Martín Di Nenno in the last four on Saturday after the third seeds levelled the game at one set each. They composed themselves, though, and held their nerve in the deciding tiebreak 7-3 to win 6-3 3-6 7-6 and set up a final against fourth seeds Yanguas and Stupaczuk.
– Spaniard Yanguas and Argentine Stupaczuk booked their second final in a row thanks to a gritty 7-6 (7-3) 7-5 win over second seeds Alejandro Galán and Fede Chingotto in two hours and 19 minutes, nevertheless could not deny Spain’s Coello his second Major title in Mexico on Sunday after the one he claimed in 2022 paired with Fernando Belasteguín.
– Coello, 22, added: „It’s one of the most special tournaments, not only because of the venue and the facilities, but also because of how people experience it and how they’ve been supporting us throughout the week. Above all, how much they enjoy and breathe padel here.“
– The women’s event started out with top seeds Paula Josemaría Martín and Ariana Sánchez Fallada looking to claim a clean sweep of the 2024 Major events with teenage sensations Andrea Ustero Prieto and Alejandra Alonso De Villa also looking to impress again and reach another final this season.
– Unfortunately for Ustero and Alonso, they lost a riveting three-set Round of 16 clash to Josemaría and Sánchez who then survived another three-set affair against eighth seeds Veronica Virseda and Aranzazu Osoro Ulrich only to fall finally to Sofia Araujo and Marta Ortega Gallego in the semi-finals after the Portuguese and Spanish fourth seeds triumphed 3-6 6-3 7-6 (11-9) in an epic match.
– Down the bottom half of the draw, seconds seeds Triay and Fernández overcame a Round of 16 stutter against the 15th seeds to make the semi-finals where they faced third seeds Bea González and Delfina Brea Senesi, who ran out of steam to lose out 7-5 6-2 to the Spanish pair in one hour and 38 minutes.
– Araujo and Ortega started out strong on Sunday to nick the first set 7-5 in a tiebreak, but Triay and Fernández suddenly clicked into gear to power through the second set 6-1 then hung in to claim their first 2024 Major 6-4 in the decider in a crowd-pleasing two hours and 38 minutes of action – which is Fernández’s first ever Major and Triay’s second after winning the Rome Major in 2023.
– Fernández, 18, revealed: „I am very happy to have won my first tournament. We have had a very good season and now, at the end of the year, we have won a tournament that has been very difficult, because the level is incredible. Our triumph in this stop is very important for the whole team.“
– Triay, 32, added: „We started the match with doubts, but in the second and the third set – above all the second one – we played really well. The third set was so tough and I’m really happy to win.“
– The 2024 season now moves straight into the Milan P1 event, which runs until Sunday, December 8.
– The 2024 season marks a significant milestone as Premier Padel has become the unified global professional world tour under the governance of the FIP with 24 tournaments across 16 countries on five continents leading into the hotly anticipated Qatar Airways Premier Padel Finals in Barcelona from December 19-22, where the top-ranked pairs will compete for the prestigious 2024 season trophy – all quarter-finals, semi-finals and finals live on Red Bull TV for worldwide fans to savour.
Watch the Mexico finals replay on Red Bull TV HERE.
