Padel Champions: Josemaría & Sánchez Tie Tournament Win Record with Málaga P1 Victory
Top padel seeds Paula Josemaría Martín (ESP) and Ariana Sánchez Fallada (ESP) went into the history books on Sunday at the Premier Padel P1 event in Málaga when they equalled the sport's record of 32 women's titles as a pair while Arturo Coello (ESP) and Agustín Tapia (ARG) got back to winning ways.
Here is all you need to know:
Josemaría and Sánchez did not have it all their own way in Spain as they had to play two three-set matches en route to the final where they took on third seeds Gemma Triay Pons and Claudia Fernández Sánchez for the second time this season. After getting swept aside in the first set 6-1, they regrouped and fought back to win 6-4 6-2 to bank their 32nd title together that equalled the record set by twins Mapi Sánchez Alayeto and Majo Sánchez Alayeto - also known as the Gemelas Atomikas.
Spaniard Josemaría, 27, said: "What I always say and what I try to convey to everyone is that you must never give up, never stop trying." Compatriot Sánchez, 26, added: "We must be proud of our work, the fight on every ball, the determination to overcome such difficult moments."
In the men's event, Coello and Tapia cruised to their sixth title of the season after Doha, Acapulco, Puerto Cabello, Asuncion and Santiago without dropping a set the whole week. After seeing off fourth seeds Juan Lebrón (ESP) and Francisco Navarro (ESP) 6-4 7-5 in the semi-finals, they powered past main rivals and second seeds Alejandro Galán (ESP) and Fede Chingotto (ARG) 6-2 6-3 in the final.
Galán and Chingotto were bidding to win three 2024 titles on the bounce in Galán's home country and also had an easy path to the final where they faced the might of top seeds Coello and Tapia, but it was the other Argentine/Spanish pair who won to cut it to 5-4 in favour of 'Chingalan' this year.
Argentine Tapia, 24, admitted: "A week ago in Genova we came out humiliated, but here we redeemed ourselves and are overjoyed to have won the title." Spaniard Coello, 22, revealed: "When things go wrong I realise how much, before being partners on the court, we are friends with Agus."
In the women's event, Málaga's very own Beatriz González looked to have overcome her recent injury in reaching the semi-finals with her Argentine partner Delfina Brea Senesi but, after two hard three-set wins in a row, she had to pull out of the last-four clash with third seeds Pons and Sánchez.
With Carlos Alcaraz winning the men's tennis title at Wimbledon and Spain the Euro 2024 football title, Josemaría, Sánchez and Coello helped make it an even more magical day for the host country at the Palacio de Deportes José María Martín Carpena ahead of the next P2 stop in Nokia, Finland from July 27 through to August 4 at the PadelOne Arena where some new men's pairs will start competing.
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 25 tournaments across 18 countries on five continents leading into the hotly anticipated Premier Padel Tour Finals in Barcelona from December 18-22, 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.