“I enjoy when I play padel”. This was literally said by Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the Saturday guest star at the Allianz Cloud: Ibra was welcomed by Premier Padel president Nasser Al Khelaifi and International Padel Federation president Luigi Carraro. Milano Premier Padel P1 has elected its four finalist pairs: to open the schedule, at 3 p.m., will be Delfina Brea and Bea Gonzalez (3), opposed to Sofia Araujo and Alejandra Salazar (4), then the men, not before 4.30 p.m., with Ale Galan and Juan Lebron (1) who will face Franco Stupaczuk and Martin Di Nenno (3). Out, less than 24 hours after being world FIP ranked 1 at the end of 2023, Arturo Coello, defeated with Agustin Tapia by the ‘Superpibes’.
MEN After four tournaments won in a row in the Premier Padel circuit (Rome, Madrid, Mendoza and Paris), it will surely be another pair to raise the trophy in Milan. Will it be the first time this season for Ale Galan and Juan Lebron or the second for Franco Stupaczuk and Martin Di Nenno, after Doha? In the first semifinal, Galan and Lebron – defending champions after their 2022 triumph – took three sets to get the better of Fede Chingotto and Paquito Navarro, defeated 6-3 5-7 6-2 in a match that lasted almost two hours (https://www.milanopremierpadel.com/en/galan-and-lebron-soar-into-the-final-chingotto-and-navarro-ko-now-its-time-for-a-double/). On the other side of the net, therefore, there will not be the dominators of the circuit Arturo Coello and Agustin Tapia, but the Argentine ‘Superpibes’ Franco Stupaczuk and Martin Di Nenno, who with a double 6-4 in one hour and 12 minutes gave themselves the final, thanks to a great performance especially by ‘Stupa’ (https://www.milanopremierpadel.com/en/superpibes-its-a-great-saturday-stupaczuk-di-nenno-in-final-coello-tapia-out/).
WOMEN Out goes the number one in the men’s FIP ranking, but also out goes the number one in the women’s ranking. The run of Paula Josemaria and Ari Sanchez ended in the semifinals, defeated 6-4 7-6 in the match that opened the day by Delfina Brea and Bea Gonzalez, the number 3 seed (https://www.milanopremierpadel.com/en/brea-gonzalez-first-finalist-pair-out-womens-number-1-josemaria-sanchez-2/). ‘Delfi’ and ‘Bea’ remains the only ones who can win more than one Premier title in 2023: this is because, after the elimination of Marta Ortega and Gemma Triay in the first round, the other finalist pair will be the Portuguese Sofia Araujo and the Spanish Alejandra Salazar, the number 4 seed. Salazar, a padel legend, missed the Rome Major at the Foro Italico due to injury. Almost five months later, thanks to a 7-6 6-4 win over Jessica Castelló and Aranzazu Osoro, she will be on court for the Milano Premier Padel P1 title in Italy.