Padel isn’t always about beauty; sometimes it’s about grit, grinding, and competing no matter what—especially when things don’t flow naturally.
That was exactly the case for both top seeds, Gemma Triay and Delfi Brea, as well as second seeds Paula Josemaría and Bea González, before they could secure another final meeting.
At the P2 in Asunción, the number-one pair started with plenty of doubts. Ari Sánchez and Andrea Ustero, fresh from an impressive quarterfinal performance, sent a serious warning that the semifinal wouldn’t be easy. After breaking the top seeds’ serve, they built a 4-2 lead, causing tension on the bench of coach Seba Nerone.
The coach urged them to reflect on their mistakes, and gradually they regained control. They dulled the spark from Ari and especially Andrea, who becomes a completely different player without energy. From 4-2 down, they leveled at 5-5 and eventually took the tiebreak, giving Gemma and Delfi the first set.
That hard-fought victory gave them a surge of confidence, which they carried into a 5-0 lead in the second set, while their rivals’ morale plummeted. Ari and Andrea clawed back two games in a row, but it wasn’t enough, and they lost 7-6 (4), 6-2.
Now, Gemma and Delfi face their toughest rivals this season: Bea González and Paula Josemaría. This will be the fifth consecutive final between the two pairs.
So far, the statistics favor the second seeds, who have won three of the previous four tournaments, including the last three in a row.
But Bea and Paula’s path to the final was anything but smooth. They came dangerously close to losing in the semifinals against Sofi Araújo and Claudia Fernández, who certainly stepped up with a stellar performance against the number-twos. Bea and Paula did not have their best day, but they faced opponents who, for long stretches, played at their peak.
Both the “Lioness of Lisbon” and the “Wonder Girl” raised their level in Asunción, forcing their rivals to dig deep. They stormed out of the gates, breaking serve early and taking the first set in the blink of an eye. Sofi capitalized on every clean strike, while Clau covered the court like a broom, retrieving impossible balls.
The second set started similarly, with another break giving the fourth seeds a 3-1 lead. Coach Claudio Gilardoni encouraged Bea and Paula, even shouting, “Sometimes you listen to me, sometimes you don’t listen at all,” as he devised new strategies to turn the match around.
His masterclass worked. After leveling at 3-3, a whirlwind of breaks followed—five consecutive ones—until at 5-5, Paula and Bea held serve and then broke to seal the second set 7-5.
That was a heavy blow for Sofi and Claudia, who had been close. In the deciding set, despite breaking early again, they were eventually overpowered by Bea and Paula, who accelerated and won 3-6, 7-5, 6-2 after a dramatic comeback.
The second seeds know exactly what awaits them in a final they seem to have mastered after victories in Miami, NewGiza, and Brussels. The classic clash is set.
