The FIP Gold Abidjan padel event crowned two pairs with something to prove. In the men’s draw, Javi Garrido and Lucas Bergamini won their first title together by beating Juan Tello and Maxi Arce 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 after two hours and 21 minutes. In the women’s draw, Araceli Martinez and Laura Lujan defeated Noa Canovas and Laia Rodriguez 6-3, 1-6, 6-4.
Held from June 23 to 28, 2026 in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, this FIP Gold offered 150 FIP points to the winners and a total prize money of 50,000 euros according to the official tournament information. Internationally, a FIP Gold is part of the CUPRA FIP Tour, the International Federation circuit that complements Premier Padel and awards world-ranking points. The short answer is clear: the titles went to Garrido/Bergamini and Martinez/Lujan, but both finals mostly showed a rare ability to absorb a breaking point.
Garrido hurt, but still standing
The men’s final brought together two pairs arriving in Ivory Coast with real momentum. Garrido/Bergamini had already played two finals together this season, at the FIP Platinum Marseille and the FIP Silver Dubai. This time they finished the job against Tello/Arce, recent winners of the FIP Platinum Paredes and one of the strongest teams of recent weeks on the CUPRA FIP Tour.
The match moved into uncertainty at 2-2 in the second set, when Garrido went down after trying to recover at the net, his right ankle twisting worryingly. The Spanish player returned after medical treatment, but Arce and Tello immediately raised the pressure and levelled the match. Bergamini’s response then mattered: more presence in transition zones, more support through long sequences, and enough clarity to carry his partner into the deciding tie-break.
“I thought about retiring, but thanks to him I was able to finish the match,” Garrido said after the final.
This title gives the Garrido/Bergamini partnership a new dimension. They did not simply win a final: they proved they could survive a crisis against a pair that had been on one of the strongest runs on the circuit.
Martinez and Lujan punch above their seeding
The women’s final also broke away from ranking logic. Second seeds Araceli Martinez and Laura Lujan beat Canovas/Rodriguez in a match where they had to rebuild their plan after a heavy second-set loss. For Lujan, the success carries extra weight: it is her first FIP Gold title, in a country where she had already won a FIP Silver in 2025 and reached a final in April.
The result matters for Martinez too, as she also claims her first trophy in this category. In a draw where Canovas and Rodriguez arrived as the pair to beat, especially after their FIP Gold Shanghai title, the Abidjan victory moves Martinez/Lujan into a different conversation: teams able to matter regularly at major international secondary-circuit events.
Abidjan confirms its place on the CUPRA FIP Tour
Beyond the trophies, this Ivorian edition confirms Abidjan’s place on the calendar. The Centre Sportif, Culturel et des TIC Ivoiro-Coréen provided a strong setting, with a present crowd and contested finals. In a season where the CUPRA FIP Tour acts as a laboratory, a springboard and a place of reshuffling for several pairs, this FIP Gold delivered two clear signals: Garrido/Bergamini found their reference match, and Martinez/Lujan showed they can win when the level rises.
