Finland Premier Padel P2, day 4. Salazar, the legend is back: into the semifinal after three months

Alejandra Salazar is a living legend of padel. And yet, the Spaniard – number 10 in the FIP ranking – had not played a semifinal in the Premier Padel circuit for three months (in Sevilla, at the beginning of May). She will do that in Finland P2, paired with Veronica Virseda, a finalist in another P2, that of Bordeaux: the number 5 seed on the draw beat 7-6 6-0 Lucia Sainz and Patty Llaguno (4), one of the most powerful pairs at the moment, but who may have paid the price for being tired from the many tournaments in the last weeks. Salazar/Virseda, not before 4 p.m. local time (3 p.m. CET), will face Marta Ortega (Virseda’s partner until a few weeks ago) and Sofia Araujo, who played with Salazar last year: the number 2 seeded players only gave up three games (6-1 6-2) to Marina Guinart and Nuria Rodriguez (8). The other semifinal, which will open Saturday’s schedule at 10 a.m. Finnish time (9a.m. CET), will see on court Paula Josemaria and Ari Sanchez (the number 1 seeded players conceded just two games, 6-2 6-0, to Virginia Riera and Carmen Goenaga) and the very young Andrea Ustero and Ale Alonso, champions of the FIP European Padel Championships with Spain, who after a 7-5 6-3 win over Jessica Castelló and Claudia Jensen are aiming for their first final on the Premier Padel circuit.

MEN Great emotions also in the quarterfinals of the men’s draw, where Coki Nieto and Jon Sanz realised the masterpiece of the day: the number 6 seeded players closed out the first tournament as a pair of Mike Yanguas and Franco Stupaczuk (2), with a score of 6-4 7-6 but at the end of an incredible tiebreak that ended 13-11. For Nieto and Sanz, the dream of winning another Premier Padel title after the P2 in Bordeaux goes through the challenge against Pablo Cardona and Paquito Navarro (3) who, in their first tournament together, gained access to the semifinals thanks to a 7-5 7-6 win over Alex Arroyo and Sanyo Gutierrez (8), with the latter having been Paquito’s partner at the start of the season. The other semi-final, the one at the top of the draw, will see on court Martin Di Nenno and Juan Lebron (1) take on Momo Gonzalez and Edu Alonso (7). The Argentine and the ‘Lobo’, in two sets, defeated 6-1 7-6 Tino Libaak and Alex Chozas; Gonzalez/Alonso, who lifted together the trophy in the FIP Platinum Sardegna, instead put an end to the great tournament of Luis Hernandez and Inigo Jofre: having started from the qualifiers, the numbers 65 and 73 in the ranking surrendered 6-4 6-2.