The roar of joy on centre court, an embrace with smiles on their faces, and a standing ovation from a sold-out Allianz Cloud as the crowd celebrated the queens of Milan. Ari Sanchez and Andrea Ustero defeated Bea Gonzalez and Paula Josemaria in the final of the Oysho Milano Premier Padel P1 (7-6, 6-3). With this victory, Sanchez joined Gemma Triay and Ale Salazar at the top of the all-time list of most successful players, with 58 titles to her name. “I’m really happy. It’s an honour to share this record with two legends like them. They are great players, so it means I’m on the right track,” Sanchez said. She also had a special message to share: “I dedicate this victory to my parents, who have always been there for me. They always took me to tournaments when I was little and have never stopped supporting me. When I’m happy, they celebrate with me, and when I’m sad, they help me through it.”
For the first time, alongside the trophy shaped like Milan’s Duomo, the champions also received a commemorative ring inspired by the NBA. “This was a really nice new addition,” Sanchez said. “We’re happy to be the first ones to wear it.” Ustero was equally delighted: “The first thing we’ll do with this prize? Take lots and lots of pictures.”
Ari nodded with a smile. Sanchez has once again confirmed her special connection with Milan: in 2025, she won the tournament alongside Josemaria. For Ustero, meanwhile, this marks her first Premier Padel title on Italian soil. “I think that, towards the end of the first set, I was the one who really needed to react and change something. I had come onto the court feeling very tense, and I wasn’t particularly comfortable with my shots,” Andrea explained. “Ángel was telling us to focus more on tactics and, in my case, on my footwork. I think that was the key to turning things around. We continued with the same approach in the second set, and things went really well.”
For the champions, the joy of winning comes with another important achievement: holding on to second place in the Race, keeping their opponents in the final at bay. This year, Ustero and Sanchez have won five titles, three of them in their last four tournaments. The Milan P1 adds to their triumphs at the Paris Major, the Valencia and Riyadh P1s, and the recent Rotterdam P2. Their dream is to finish the season at the top of the rankings. “Andrea is very good at maths,” Sanchez joked. “Seriously, we’ll keep saying what we’ve always said. We’re in second place, which means we can still aim higher. But I think we need to keep following the same path, without thinking too much about the rankings. We have to focus on our game, improving every day and taking each tournament one at a time. As I always say in interviews, our job is to keep making small steps forward, day after day and tournament after tournament, without ever letting our guard down.”