Arturo Coello and Agustín Tapia dug deep over three sets in Sunday’s final to defeat rivals Alejandro Galán and Fede Chingotto and win the Premier Padel Valencia P1 stop as Ariana Sánchez Fallada and Andrea Ustero Prieto earned their second 2026 title together as a pair. Here is all you need to know:
– Chingalán lost last week’s Italy Major to the number one seeds, however got off to a fine start in Sunday’s indoor final at La Fonteta by taking the first-set tiebreak 7-4. Their opponents, though, hit straight back 6-1 and came back from 4-1 down in the deciding set to win a tiebreak thriller 8-6.
– After wrapping up their fourth 2026 title and Coello’s 50th of his career, the 24-year-old said: “I’d like to congratulate Ale, Chingo and Jorge. We’re doing the sport a favour and doing ourselves a favour; in this sort of match we push ourselves to the limit. Given what this tournament means to us, I think calling it a P1 doesn’t do it justice; it’s a hugely important week in the calendar for us, and we played a great match, so we were absolutely delighted.”
– It was not serene progress for Galán and Chingotto as they needed three sets to get past qualifiers in the Round of 32, then edged another three-setter 6-4 in the decider against defiant Argentine pair Alex Chozas and Tino Libaak after the exciting young pair raced through the first set 6-2.
– They finally found their rhythm in the quarter-finals with a 6-1 6-1 win over 14th seeds Juan Tello and Maximiliano Arce Simo then ground out a classic semi-final against fourth seeds Juan Lebrón and Leandro Augsburger 4-6 6-3 6-4 in just under two hours to book their fourth final in a row.
– Coello and Tapia had no such problems reaching the final as they did not lose a set – including a 6-2 6-2 semi-final win over third seeds Miguel Yanguas and Franco Stupaczuk – but they needed every trick in their locker to fight back and defeat their rivals in a final that had the crowd on their feet.
– Tapia, 26, said: “We’re having a good run at the moment, and we’re making the most of it. We need to really appreciate it because we had a tough time – I won’t lie to you – after Buenos Aires.”
– In the women’s event, the week was shaken up when second seeds Bea González and Paula Josemaría Martín ran out of gas following their stellar start to the year in a shock quarter-final defeat to sixth seeds Martina Calvo Santamaria and Marta Ortega Gallego who closed it out 7-5 7-6.
– Their luck ran out in the semi-finals, though, as fourth seeds Sofia Araújo and Claudia Fernández Sánchez saw them off 6-3 6-3 with Sánchez and Ustero ousting top seeds Gemma Triay Pons and Delfina Brea Senesi 7-5 2-6 6-4 to book a final with their opponents whose first final it was as a pair.
– Sunday’s final was an entertaining affair with the third seeds gaining the upper hand 6-4, only for Araújo and Fernández to level it up 6-3. After winning the Riyadh season opener, though, Sánchez and Ustero knew how to close it out and they won the decider 6-2 in just over two hours.
– Sánchez, 28, said: “We’d already been improving; the week in Rome was very good and very important for us. Winning that tough four-hour semi-final match was great for our confidence and for knowing that we’re mentally prepared. Hats off to Andrea, who played a brilliant match.”
– Ustero, 19, added: “It’s incredible to play here. The stands were packed right from the first minute, and in the end, that’s what motivates us players. This team is known for always cheering each other on, for never giving up on a ball, even when our tactics aren’t working out.”
– The players now have a week off before taking on the Valladolid P2 event from June 22-28.
– The 2026 season is another exciting chapter for Premier Padel as the unified global tour expands under the governance of the FIP. With 25 tournaments in 17 countries across five continents, watch the world’s best players compete hard with all the quarter-finals, semi-finals and finals streamed live on Red Bull TV.
– The free-to-play mobile game “Red Bull: Court Legends” is available for download now on iOS and Android through the AppStore and Google Play Store respectively, so padel fans can experience the action for themselves.
Watch the 2026 Valencia P1 event replay on Red Bull TV HERE.
Words courtesy of Premier Padel
