Argentina on the men’s throne: NextGen Libaak-Augsburger in power

A historic comeback. Two of the purest talents of the NextGen of world padel to win the decisive point. As in 2022 in Dubai, Argentina is on the throne in the men’s draw at the FIP World Padel Championships. It was a day of total padel, at the Khalifa Tennis&Squash Complex in Doha, with the Albiceleste (in their 12th men’s title) lifting the trophy with the men after defeat in the women’s final. When it was already past midnight in Qatar, it was Tino Libaak and Leo Augsburger (39 years old in two) who won 3-6 7-5 7-6 the decisive match against Paquito Navarro and Mike Yanguas, after Agustin Tapia and Fede Chingotto had made Juan Lebron and Ale Galan’s #ElRegreso sad.

The first of the three matches of the final was the less balanced: thanks to the great performance of Arturo Coello – number 1 in the FIP ranking – and Coki Nieto, who in 53 minutes left just three games to the ‘Superpibes’ Franco Stupaczuk and Martin Di Nenno (6-1 6-2). Then came the long-awaited moment for all padel fans around the world: #ElRegreso – a hashtag that has gone viral on social media – became real, with Juanjo pairing Juan Lebron and Ale Galan, 33 titles won together, but who had decided to part ways last March, with the last match played on 24 March in Acapulco’s P1. On the other side of the net, Agustin Tapia – dominator with Coello of the Premier Padel circuit, with 10 titles in 2024 – and Fede Chingotto, who with Galan tried to break the domination. The result was a spectacular match, with the first set decided at the tiebreak in favour of Argentina. Lebron and Galan’s reaction was timely, taking the match to the third and decisive set, in which Tapia and Chingotto went ahead by a break. A break that Spain (on court with the black armband, to commemorate the flood victims in Valencia) came close to recovering, but without completing the task, with Argentina closing 7-6 3-6 6-2 in two hours and 3′ with a point in which both Juan and Ale tried to play the volley in the middle.

The FIP World Padel Championships were therefore decided in the last game, with Argentina’s NextGen formed by Libaak and Augsuburger opposing Navarro and Yanguas. It was the Spaniards who broke 5-3 to decide the first set, but the young Argentinians stretched the lead to 4-2 in the second set, only to suffer the return of Paquito and Mike. When the tiebreak seemed inevitable, Argentina closed 7-5 thanks to a point in the 12th game that came with a miraculous recovery from the ground by Libaak. The break, in the third set, was scored by Spain (4-3), but Tino and Leo didn’t give up, immediately finding the counterbreak. At the beginning of the tenth game, Augsburger suffered a physical problem: suffering, the ‘Bombardero’ continued to play, until he dominated the tiebreak. There was a date with history, not to be missed.

“We have lived an incredible week, we are speechless – Libaak said –. We are a great team”. “We all played together, with words, with motivation – added Augsburger –. I’m so happy, I send a big greeting to my family”. The interview on the pitch, before the award ceremony, ended there, with the whole team singing ‘Dale Campeon’.