From Brussels to Sevilla, they cheer again. Fede Chingotto and Ale Galan in the men’s draw, Delfi Brea and Bea Gonzalez in the women’s, repeat in the Sevilla Premier Padel P2 the title obtained in Belgium. For Bea and Delfi, who with the victory in the final overcame Gemma Triay in the FIP ranking as Gonzalez had done after her success in the semifinals (Brea will be number 4 from tomorrow, with Bea number 3), it is even the third title in a row, adding also the one in Puerto Cabello.
MEN It was in Venezuela that the Chingotto-Galan pair (immediately nicknamed ‘Chingalan’) was first seen, and it took them little time to become a ‘pareja’ of the highest level. In the final at the Estadio de la Cartuja – where there were 35,000 fans in one week – it was Franco Stupaczuk and Martin Di Nenno (in his first final of the season) who started strongly with a break in the fifth game: the counterbreak came at 5-5, with Chingotto and Galan having a set point at 6-5, but brought the set home in the tiebreak with a volley by an impressive Chingotto. A break point on each side in the first two games of the second set, but the decisive stretch came at 2-1, with Galan rising in level as the match went on to become almost unplayable. “Thank you all for being here today”, said Galan, mvp of the tournament. “We are working hard to make this pair work. Congratulations to Fede, but congratulations also to Franco, Martin and their coach Carlos Pozzoni. We managed to win the tournament also with the strength of Fede, the strength of Jorge Martinez, our coach. And I also want to thank my mother, because today is Mother’s Day and it is thanks to her that I am here. A fantastic week, thank you very much”. “I also want to greet my mother and all the mothers”, added Chingotto. “We are super happy, also because we won against two incredible rivals like Franco and Martin, against whom I have been playing since I was 11 years old. But with the ‘animal’ I have next to me I am calm. We will continue to work together to improve”. Chingotto and Galan are the fourth pair in 2024 to win a tournament without losing a set (data from FIP Research & Data Analysis Department): it had happened to Coello/Tapia in Acapulco, Josemaria/Sanchez in Riyadh and Brea/Gonzalez in Puerto Cabello.
WOMEN If the men’s final, which ended 7-6 6-4 in an hour and 54 minutes, it took Delfi Brea and Bea Gonzalez only an hour and 12 minutes to beat world number 1 Paula Josemaria and Ari Sanchez with a double 6-1. After yesterday’s incredible comeback in the semi-finals against Alejandra Salazar and Tamara Icardo, Brea and Gonzalez dominated the match against the Spaniards, giving themselves their third consecutive title. It was a special title for Bea Gonzalez, who was born in Andalusia, in Malaga: “I wanted to come back and play here in Spain so much – admitted Bea, mvp of the women’s draw –. What makes it all the more beautiful is the fact that I won the tournament: I would like to thank the whole team and allow me to dedicate this victory to my mother, as today is Mother’s Day and mine is always suffering at home”. Great joy also for Delfi Brea: “The truth is that I think it was a tournament of lows and highs”, admits the Argentinean. “But we knew that today we had to play one hundred per cent and fight. Today we were a great team, but we have been all week: yesterday we had almost lost and we picked it up again. We knew how to take advantage of the opportunities we had. I am very happy, thank you all very much for this unforgettable week: it was a real show here, now we will see you in Malaga”.
Before returning to Spain, however, with the P1 in July, the Premier Padel circuit will move back to South America for three stages: the P2 in Asuncion (13-19 May), the P1 in Mar del Plata (20-26 May) and the P1 in Santiago (27 May-2 June).
