From qualifying to the round of 32
How far did Clément Geens and Dylan Guichard go at the Málaga P1? They reached the round of 32 after three victories. Seeded fourth in qualifying, the Frenchman and the Belgian first came through two rounds without dropping a set. They defeated Alejandro Jerez Carnero and Jesús Moya Sos before beating Juan Pablo Dametto and Felipe Calleja 6-3, 7-5 to secure a place in the main draw.
The qualification extended a tournament that had already started well. In the main draw, Guichard and Geens faced another pair from qualifying, Manuel Aragón Herrera and Albert Roglán Pons. Their 6-4, 7-6 victory confirmed their ability to build momentum, although they needed several opportunities to close out the second set.
“We needed five or six match points, I think. They had four or five set points,” Clément Geens told Actu Padel. The win took them into the round of 32, a meaningful stage for a pair that had entered the tournament through qualifying. The draw and results are also available on the official Málaga P1 page.
The 13th seeds raise the level
The run ended against 13th seeds Javier García and José Jiménez Casas, who won 6-4, 6-2. The French-Belgian pair stayed close in the opening set before coming under greater pressure from the Spanish pair’s defensive quality and consistency in the second.
Throughout the match, the commentator highlighted García and Jiménez Casas’ ability to extend the rallies and retrieve numerous attacking shots. Guichard and Geens therefore found it more difficult to finish the points. Trailing 4-1 in the second set, the French-Belgian pair recovered one break but were unable to change the momentum for long.
The defeat does not diminish the quality of their run: two qualifying victories, a successful main-draw opener and a valuable test against a higher-ranked pair. Actu Padel had already followed their qualification for the main draw during the weekend.
Actu Padel / Clément Geens: “We are happy with our tournament”
Actu Padel: What is your assessment of this Málaga P1?
“We are happy with our tournament. We were seeded in qualifying and our ambition was to get through. We managed it with two straight-set victories against good teams, so that was really positive.”
Actu Padel: How did you experience the first round of the main draw?
“The draw was fairly good against another qualifying pair, but they are a team that plays well and has made a strong start to the season. We played a really good match and won 6-4, 7-6. The second set became more tense when we tried to close it out.”
Actu Padel: What made the difference against García and Jiménez Casas?
“They are still a little above us today. We felt that they defended better. The rallies lasted a long time and we struggled to finish the points. It was difficult, but overall it was still a good match. We will try to keep going.”
Next stop: the Belgian Padel Championships
Clément Geens has little time to rest. On Saturday 18 July, the Belgian will reunite with Maxime Deloyer at the Belgian Padel Championships in Ter Eiken Boechout. Having won the event together in 2024 and 2025, they will enter the tournament as back-to-back defending champions.
