Ooredoo Qatar Major, day 5: Yanguas-Garrido and Triay-Fernandez, first time in the final. King Arthur takes back the throne

Mike Yanguas and Javi Garrido‘s magical week is not over yet. After having eliminated Juan Lebron and Ale Galan in the round of 16, the Spaniards – number 10 on the draw – achieved their second masterpiece in the space of three days, beating also the number 3 of the Ooredoo Qatar Major in Doha, the ‘Superpibes’ Franco Stupaczuk and Martin Di Nenno (3) who will therefore not be able to defend the title they won last year in Qatar. It ended 6-2 7-6 in one hour and 41 minutes, with Yanguas and Garrido dominating in the first set – with Javi’s smashes delighting the Doha crowd – and also able to withstand the comeback of the Argentines: Stupaczuk and Di Nenno, however, paid the price for too many errors, even in the key points, giving way to Yanguas/Garrido, who tomorrow will be able to play for the title of the first Major of the year against Arturo Coello and Agustin Tapia (2), who in the other semifinal beat Paquito Navarro and Sanyo Gutierrez 6-0 6-4. It was a domination, that of ‘Arturito’ and the Argentine, which made things clear from the very first games: the adventure in Doha ends for the number 4, who after starting the season with a defeat in Riyadh, however, gave the impression of being on the rise. Coello, on the other hand, with this victory is already sure to return to the top of the FIP ranking from Monday, after being overtaken by Lebron and Galan victorious in the Riyadh Season P1.

WOMEN In the women’s draw, on the other hand, Paula Josemaria and Ari Sanchez are hunting for a double. The world number 1s needed three sets and to come back from the first, but in the end they managed to beat 4-6 6-2 6-4 Marta Ortega and Veronica Virseda (4), who thus end their first tournament played together in the semifinals. Challenging Josemaria/Sanchez and trying to prevent the Spaniards from making it a back-to-back after the Riyadh Season P1 will be another new pair, that of Gemma Triay and Claudia Fernandez (3). In a match that lasted an hour and 59 minutes, Triay and the 18-year-old (almost in tears after closing out the match) beat Alejandra Salazar and Tamara Icardo 7-5 6-4: a match that Triay/Fernandez had started very well (double break in the first set) before the comeback of Salazar/Icardo. Despite a small physical problem in the second set, which forced Fernandez to ask for a medical time out, Triay took the pair on her shoulders and tomorrow she will go in search of her second title in the Premier Padel circuit after the one she won in Rome, at the Foro Italico, paired with Marta Ortega.

Tomorrow is the most awaited day at the Khalifa International Tennis&Squash Complex: the finals will start at 5pm local time (3pm CET), first Josemaria/Sanchez against Triay/Fernandez, then Yanguas/Garrido against Coello/Tapia.