Day 4. ‘Gato’ is back: Tello in semi-final after almost a year

In Santiago’s P1 we are watching the best version of Juan Tello again. ‘El Gato’ had been missed: the Argentine, whose FIP best ranking was number 7, dropped to 20^th position, but his talent was always unquestionable. Tello, who also became a father for the second time in 2024, is back in a semi-final of a Qatar Airways Premier Padel circuit tournament after almost a year: it hasn’t happened since the P2 in Bordeaux, paired with Fernando Belasteguin. From an Argentine legend to a young world champion: Tello, in 2025, plays with Tino Libaak, who will play his first semi-final in a Premier in Santiago. All this, thanks to their 7-6 6-7 6-3 victory over Pablo Cardona and Leo Augsburger, which will lead them to face Franco Stupaczuk and Juan Lebron (3). The other semi-final will be between the number 2 and 4 seeded players. On one side will be Fede Chingotto and Ale Galan, the latter reaching his 30^th semi-final in a Premier (25-4 record), and on the other a recently formed pair, that of Coki Nieto and Mike Yanguas.

WOMEN Also in the women’s draw, three of the top four seeded pairs have reached the semifinals. At the top half there will be the duel between Paula Josemaria and Ari Sanchez and the ‘pareja’ formed by Claudia Fernandez and Bea Gonzalez: a match, this one, that will open the schedule of the evening session not before 7 p.m. Chilean time (11 p.m. CET). The first two pairs to take the Banco de Chile court will be Delfi Brea and Gemma Triay – looking for their fourth title in a row – against Ale Alonso and Andrea Ustero (6), who with a double 6-4 ended the still unforgettable week of Marina Guinart and Victoria Iglesias, who eliminated the number 4 on the draw Marta Ortega and Sofia Araujo in the round of 16.