The London P1 finalists are set. In the men’s draw, Arturo Coello and Agustín Tapia will meet Alejandro Galán and Federico Chingotto. In the women’s draw, Gemma Triay and Delfi Brea will face Claudia Fernández and Martina Calvo again, one week after their Pretoria final.
- Men’s final: Coello / Tapia vs Galán / Chingotto
- Women’s final: Triay / Brea vs Fernández / Calvo
Coello-Tapia move fast, Galán-Chingotto have to dig deeper
The world No.1 pair allowed Paquito Navarro and Martín Di Nenno only five games. Coello and Tapia won 6-3, 6-2 in 57 minutes. They reach the final of the first London P1 without needing a third set in their semifinal.
Galán and Chingotto had to work harder against Juan Lebrón and Leo Augsburger. The second seeds took the opening set in a tie-break before pulling clear in the second, winning 7-6 (3), 6-3 in 1 hour 43 minutes. A run of six straight games eventually changed the direction of a match in which Lebrón and Augsburger still had chances to extend the contest.
Sunday therefore brings the top two men’s pairs together again. Galán and Chingotto arrive with the Pretoria title they won one week ago. After that victory, Galán said in a report published by the FIP:
“It has been a very tough week, and probably not my best tournament. I have to thank Fede for carrying me to this victory.”
Triay-Brea meet Fernández-Calvo again
The longest women’s semifinal matched Triay and Brea with Ari Sánchez and Andrea Ustero. The No.1 pair finally came through after more than three hours, 7-6, 5-7, 6-3. Sánchez and Ustero repeatedly worked their way back into the match, but the third set went to Triay and Brea.
In the other semifinal, Fernández and Calvo backed up the start of their new partnership by beating Paula Josemaría and Bea González 6-2, 6-4. The two Spaniards have now reached a second consecutive final in only their second tournament together. In Pretoria, they had already pushed Triay and Brea to a deciding-set tie-break before losing 6-2, 6-7, 7-6.
The London P1 finals start Sunday at 2pm
Finals day begins on Sunday 9 August at 2pm London time, 3pm in France and Belgium, according to the official FIP schedule. In France, Canal+ lists the women’s final at 3pm on Canal+LIVE 2, followed by the men’s final at 5pm on Canal+ Sport 360.
After the London P1 semifinals, the first Premier Padel tournament staged in the United Kingdom will close with two matchups that continue the stories from Pretoria. Chingotto and Galán can make it two titles in two weeks against the world No.1s. Fernández and Calvo immediately get another shot at the pair that denied them the trophy in South Africa.
London has its four finalists. Sunday at Olympia will decide the first London champions on the Premier Padel circuit.
