Day 5, Coello-Tapia vs. Chingotto-Galan and Josemaria-Sanchez vs. Triay-Fernandez: the endless battles

The finals of the Rotterdam Premier Padel P1 will be yet another chapter of two endless battles. Arturo Coello and Agustin Tapia versus Fede Chingotto and Ale Galan among the men, Paula Josemaria and Ari Sanchez versus Gemma Triay and Claudia Fernandez among the women. The opponents also gave their best in today’s semifinals at the Ahoy Rotterdam, but in the end it was still the top two seeded pairs from both draws that qualified for the finals starting on Sunday at 3 p.m. CET.

MEN The one in the Netherlands will be the 11th duel between Coello and Tapia and Chingotto and Galan, the tenth in the finals in 16 tournaments this season, with the overall record currently in perfect tie, with five wins on each side. In the semifinals of the morning session, Coello and Tapia (in their thirteenth final in 14 tournaments played) beat Alex Chozas and Leo Augsburger 7-6 6-2, ending an otherwise exciting week of the Argentines. In the afternoon semifinal, however, Franco Stupaczuk and Mike Yanguas tried for a set to hold off Chingotto and Galan, even making spectacular points, but a break in the opening of the second set made the difference with the ‘Chingalan’ closing 7-5 6-3.

WOMEN Eleventh chapter in the challenge between Coello/Tapia and Chingotto/Galan, ninth in that between Paula Josemaria and Ari Sanchez versus Gemma Triay and Claudia Fernandez. The one between the top two seeds in Rotterdam will be the third final, to which six semi-finals have been added, with each side having four wins, although in the deciding act in both the Doha Major and the P1 in Malaga the world number 1s triumphed. Sanchez/Josemaria in an hour and 18 minutes gave Lucia Sainz and Patty Llaguno no chance, beating them 6-1 6-3. In the second semi-final, however, Triay and Fernandez won 6-4 6-3 over Marta Ortega and Sofia Araujo. It’s a special victory for the 2006-born player, who was sure to enter the top 5 of the FIP ranking on Monday for the first time in her career, with the possibility in case of a victory in the final to climb to number four. At the start of the season, Fernandez was number 24: then, the meeting with Gemma Triay that changed her life.