Feat of Nieto and Sanz: Coello and Tapia ko after 47 wins. Josemaria-Sanchez queens Carraro: “Thanks to everyone, it was a wonderful 2024”

The greatest feat of the season came in the last match of 2024. Coki Nieto and Jon Sanz are the champions of the Qatar Airways Premier Padel Finals: in the final in Barcelona, Arturo Coello and Agustin Tapia’s unbeaten streak comes to a halt at 47 matches, with the one at the Palau Sant Jordi ending in the most incredible way. After Coello and Tapia won the first set, winners of 14 titles, nine of them consecutive, and who had not lost a match since the P2 final in Genova on 7 July, the FIP Race number 1s had two match points at 5-4 in the second set in their favour to close out the match. Nieto and Sanz, however, didn’t let up, recovering the break and taking the final to the third set. Coki and Jon in turn had a match point at 5-2, which was cancelled with a bad volley by Sanz. Nieto then made a lob error on the second match point, but the third was the good one, with the beautiful embrace scene between the four finalists at the end of a match that lasted one hour and 56’ and ended 3-6 7-5 6-3. “I congratulate Arturo and Agustin for the season they played – Coki commented –. They are two models to follow. Not even in our dreams could we have imagined ending the season like this”. “I’m so happy to have won this final, thanks to everyone who supported us, to Coki for sharing this season with me – added Sanz –. And thanks to Maxi Grabiel for guiding us”. For Nieto and Sanz it’s the second title of the season, after the one in Bordeaux. In third place were Martin Di Nenno and Juan Lebron, who beat Momo Gonzalez and Edu Alonso 4-6 6-1 6-4.

WOMEN If in the men’s draw the number 1 seeds were defeated, in the women’s draw the queens were still themselves, Paula Josemaria and Ari Sanchez, winners of their tenth title of the season thanks to a 6-3 6-3 victory over Gemma Triay and Claudia Fernandez, who were coming from triumphs in Acapulco and Milano but had to bow to the number 1 of the FIP ranking. The match had started better for Gemma and Claudia, who had a break in the opening set, but Paula and Ari were quick to react, and they also placed the decisive break in the opening of the second set. “Winning here in Barcelona with Paula is special, it is the realisation of a goal and the best way to end the season – the words of Ari, who was born not far from Barcelona –. It has been a hard but beautiful year and for that I thank all the team that has worked with us”. “I’m happy to be with Ari on this journey – added Paula –. This title is not only mine and his, but of all those who have been close to us. And from the bottom of my heart I thank all the public who came to see us today: if padel is such a beautiful sport, the credit is also yours”. The final for third place was won 6-3 6-0 by Delfi Brea and Veronica Virseda over Ale Salazar and Jessica Castelló.

CARRARO The Premier Padel Finals bring to a close an exciting season, the first with a unified FIP circuit and ranking. “It has been 11 months of non-stop travelling all over the world. For this I also want to thank the media for be with us here. We have created a sense of family and you are part of this big family of padel, Premier Padel and the International Padel Federation – the words of International Padel Federation president Luigi Carraro to journalists during the press conference that preceded the two finals –. I want to thank the tournament promoters who have believed in this crazy idea from the start. Many of them created events in 20 days, gave us confidence and decided to support us by following Nasser Al-Khelaifi’s dream and what he had promised from the very first moment of this extraordinary sporting adventure. We have lived historic days, realised our dreams and I want to say thank you to the sponsors, without whom the tournament would not exist. And I’m happy that they recorded an increase in sales volume and record peaks during the tournament – continued Carraro -. This shows that the project works and that our partnership with them is a winning one. All this is thanks to the structure that Qatar Sports Investments has allowed us to create.And I also want to thank QSI sincerely for having chosen a great manager of the sports entertainment industry, David Sugden. In the Premier Padel circuit, undoubtedly a great tour in world sport, we have seen 800 players from 32 different countries playing 2500 matches and this explains how we have evolved to become a worldwide phenomenon. Premier Padel has changed this sport, it has made it global and I want to say thank you to the players, because all this happens thanks to their talent and their sacrifices. Thanks to them, therefore, but also thanks to every single person in the padel family who has worked to turn a great idea into a great sporting show”.