A quarter-final against the best players in the world, with the aim of repeating the feat they achieved in South Africa two months ago. Fran Guerrero and Javi Leal are through to the quarter-finals on Day 4 of the Oysho Milano Premier Padel P1. The sixth seeds – who have been friends since childhood, when they won the Spanish national title in their age category before turning 10 – defeated José Diestro and Marc Sintes in the round of 16 (6-3 6-4) to set up Friday’s clash with Arturo Coello and Agustin Tapia. The world No. 1 pair beat Jose Jimenez and Alex Arroyo 6-2 6-2. On paper, it looks like a one-sided contest. Coello and Tapia arrive in Milan on the back of three consecutive titles, at the Paris Major and the Rotterdam and Düsseldorf P2, and a 15-match winning streak. But what makes this quarter-final a must-watch is the pair’s previous meeting with Guerrero and Leal. In early August, the Spaniards pulled off a remarkable upset at the Pretoria P1, ending the world No. 1s’ extraordinary run of 27 consecutive finals across the tournaments they had played. A month ago, Coello and Tapia got their revenge in the quarter-finals of the French Major, but only after another hard-fought battle against the young Spaniards, winning 6-2 7-5. Now the two pairs meet again, and Milan is ready for a quarter-final that promises plenty of excitement.
The first part of the day at the Allianz Cloud also saw Franco Stupaczuk and Jon Sanz advance, beating Garcia/Ruiz 6-2 6-2. The third seeds, finalists at the last two events in Rotterdam and Düsseldorf, will face Momo Gonzalez and Lucas Campagnolo on Friday, who progressed after a three-set win over Bautista/Bergamini (6-3 1-6 6-3).