Puerto Cabello P2, Coello and Tapia did it again. First title of the season for Brea-Gonzalez

After the Ooredoo Qatar Major in Doha and the GNP Mexico P1 in Acapulco, here is also the P2 in Puerto Cabello. In Venezuela too, Arturo Coello and Agustin Tapia lifted the trophy and won their third title in a row, in an evening of finals that also celebrated the first success, in the women’s draw, of Delfina Brea and Bea Gonzalez. Two finals that thrilled the fans in Puerto Cabello, who filled the Dracu Rider Stadium and also celebrated the losing pairs: Fede Chingotto and Ale Galan among the men, Alejandra Salazar and Tamara Icardo among the women.

MEN Coello and Tapia came back from a one-set down, as had happened in the semifinals against Nieto/Sanz: the number 1 on the draw, after breaking in the opening game, had immediately returned serve. After a break due to rain, however, Chingotto and Galan (3), at their first tournament as a pair, came back to the court hungry, closing out the first set 6-2. The final was played at a very high speed: a X4 by Tapia earned the break in the seventh game of the second set, and another came in the ninth (6-3). A Galan error gave another break to Coello/Tapia in the second game of the third set, but ‘Fede’ and ‘Ale’ are two fighters: break to zero, and all to do again. After a very tight fifth game, the decisive one was 4-2, with Coello and Tapia having two match points cancelled at 2-5, cancelling a possible 4-5 ball with a smash by Coello, and closing 6-3 with a smash by Tapia. “The first set was the first moment of the year when we were not ourselves – ‘Arturito’ said -, also because there was no way to pass Fede and Ale. But then we got into the match. People deserved a match like that: we grew as a pair and we are happy to bring home another title”. Tapia was also very happy: “We faced two great players: it was their first tournament together but it was very tough, in the first set they came back incredibly, unlike us. But with the fight we made it and in the next tournaments, when we have difficult moments, we will remember this match”.

WOMEN In the women’s draw came the first title of the season for Delfina Brea and Bea Gonzalez, who defeated 6-4 6-3 Alejandra Salazar and Tamara Icardo in one hour and 57 minutes. After having three break points already in the first game, Brea/Gonzalez stretched the score in the third game, saving four break points in the next game. Salazar/Icardo got back in the eight game (4-4), but it was the only brea k point converted out of the eight they had in the entire first set. And in the ninth game came the new break for Delfi and Bea, confirmed with the 6-4 that closed the set. In the second set too, the number 1 seed on the draw starting well, flying to 3-0 and serve, before cancelling two possible counter-break points to the number 4 seeded pair. The Madrid and Milan 2023 champions missed two match points on their own serve and gave up serve (5-3), before closing out the match soon after. “Thanks to everyone who supported us – said Delfi –. Not only us, the whole women’s padel was at its best this week. A kiss to my family and friends”. “Thanks to the fans who have been here this week – Bea added -. It’s really nice to see the stands so full: I’m speechless. We are happy to have won the first title of the year: we are working hard, but the level of the tournaments shows that we have to be 100 per cent in every game”.

The Premier Padel circuit will come back on 22 April with the first European stage, a P2 scheduled in Bruxelles (Belgium).