Puerto Cabello P2, day 4. Nieto and Sanz, the first semifinal of 2024 is real
March 30, 2024
Coki Nieto and Jon Sanz, the number 7 seed at the P2 in Puerto Cabello (Venezuela), reached the first semifinal of their season and a great satisfaction: that of sitting at the table of the currently best players in the world. With a 6-7 7-5 6-1 comeback win over Ayats/Guerrero, Nieto (number 17 in the FIP ranking) and Sanz (19) will face Arturo Coello and Agustin Tapia for a place in the final. The number 1 seed in the first P2 of the 2024 season continued their march with a 7-5 6-3 win over Rubio/Sanchez, authors of a super performance. In the bottom half, the Argentine derby was won by ‘Superpibes’ Franco Stupaczuk and Martin Di Nenno (2) against ‘Minipibes’ Leo Augsburger (19 years old) and Tino Libaak (18), who closed with a 7-5 6-0 defeat an exciting path that began in the qualifiers. Only Fede Chingotto and Ale Galan (3) stand between Stupa/Di Nenno and their first final of the season (three defeats in the three played so far in 2024); Chingotto and Galan defeated 6-2 7-5 Paquito Navarro and Sanyo Gutierrez (5), out in the quarters after two semifinals in a row in Doha and Acapulco.
WOMEN The Puerto Cabello P2 also confirmed the magic moment of Maria Virginia Riera and Sofia Araujo. The number 5 seed, finalists less than a week ago in Acapulco, qualified for the semifinals in Venezuela thanks to a 6-2 7-5 win over Marta Ortega and Veronica Virseda (3). The Argentine and the Portuguese will now face Delfi Brea and Bea Gonzalez, the leaders of the draw, who defeated 6-4 6-3 Ruiz Soto/Rufo. Predictions were respected in the bottom half of the draw, where Gemma Triay and Claudia Fernandez (2) passed the round after Canovas/Velasco withdrew (when the score was 6-3 3-0) and will now face Alejandra Salazar and Tamara Icardo (4), victorious 6-2 6-2 over Llaguno/Sainz (7). A semifinal that has already been played in 2024 at the Ooredoo Qatar Major in Doha, and which saw Triay/Fernandez win in two sets (7-5 6-4).
The semifinal schedule will start at 5 p.m. local time, 10 p.m. CET, with Brea/Gonzalez-Riera/Araujo; followed by Coello/Tapia-Nieto/Sanz, Salazar/Icardo-Triay/Fernandez and Chingotto/Galan-Stupaczuk/Di Nenno.
