Men’s doubles Santigosa and Gala, 36 years old in two, dominators of the derby: gold medal for Spain

In the end they won, the ‘Superpibes’ David Gala and Daniel Santigosa, very young and equally launched towards the elite of world padel, if what was seen here in Cracow will be respected and is, as it seems, the incipit of an extraordinary future.

The Men’s final is not only a derby for the gold medal between four pure talents such as Gala-Santigosa and Garcia-Rodriguez, but also, and above all, an extraordinary showcase of the Spanish padel that is to come, or rather, that has already arrived to retrace the exploits of the greatest and most interpretive of the Iberian ‘padel’. Because it will be good not to forget that the ‘senior’ couple of this challenge is made up of two 20-year-olds, Alonso ‘Rodri’ Rodriguez and Pablo Garcia, while the ‘Superpibes’ of these European Games, David Gala and Dani Santigosa are respectively 17 and 19 years old. This is to say just how prolific the Spanish school is.

So, what a derby it is with Gala and Santigosa who start at sidereal speed, immediately giving an impressive rhythm to the match with an hyper-aggressive play. The result was that the two closed out the first set with a dry 6-3, with 32 winners against 23 and an evident effectiveness on the receive: 53% of the points won against 32% for the opponents. And also the break points: Garcia-Rodriguez had only one, converted, while Santigosa-Gala scored seven, with three breaks. The second set, after a balanced start, seemed to be heading towards a similar epilogue to the first, when Gutierrez’s ‘Superpibes’ broke 4-3 and went to 5-3 with two balls to win the gold medal.

They didn’t’ convert them, had two break points cancelled, wasted a third ball that was worth the gold medal, and procured a fourth by hitting the net. And here comes victory and gold for Dani and David two of whom we will hear a lot about in the coming years. Overjoyed Santigosa: “Yes, huge happiness and to win with my friend and partner David by my side was even better. How did we beat our friends and national teammates? It was difficult because they know us and we spent a week together, but once on the court everything became clearer. I dedicate this medal to my father and my brother”. Gala: “I spent many hours waiting and now I can finally rejoice. To whom do I dedicate it? To my family, my friends and everyone who loves me”.