Düsseldorf P2: Stupaczuk and Sanz stun Galán and Chingotto again

Saturday's semi-finals at the CUPRA Germany Premier Padel P2 in Düsseldorf were made up entirely of the top four seeds in both draws, but most of them did not go to plan. Franco Stupaczuk and Jon Sanz beat Alejandro Galán and Federico Chingotto for the second week in a row. In the women's draw, two matches went the distance and lasted close to three hours each. Sunday's finals will be Arturo Coello and Agustín Tapia against Stupaczuk and Sanz, and Claudia Fernández and Martina Calvo against Ariana Sánchez and Andrea Ustero.

Stupaczuk and Sanz do it again

Stupaczuk and Sanz knocked out Galán and Chingotto in the Rotterdam quarter-finals a week ago, and they beat them again in Düsseldorf, this time 7-6(3), 6-4. The first set was close throughout, according to El Neverazo. Galán and Chingotto had a set point at 5-4 and the challengers had one at 6-5. Stupaczuk and Sanz then raced to a 6-0 lead in the tie-break and closed it out 7-3.

They went 5-2 up in the second set. The No. 2 seeds won two games back to make it 4-5 but could not get any closer. Padel Spain reported that Chingotto had elbow trouble during the second set. Neither player has commented on it publicly.

The win puts Stupaczuk and Sanz in their third final in a row, according to the FIP. Galán and Chingotto have now lost in back-to-back tournaments before the final, and they are running out of events to catch the leaders in the Race.

Coello and Tapia: one hour, five minutes

The other men's semi-final was one-sided. Coello and Tapia beat Juan Lebrón and Leandro Augsburger 6-2, 6-3 in 65 minutes. The FIP says it is the fifth straight time the world No. 1s have beaten Lebrón and Augsburger without dropping a set. Padel Spain puts their head-to-head at 8-1 and says this will be their 16th final in 18 tournaments together.

The men's final is a repeat of last week's Rotterdam final, which Coello and Tapia won. They are also the defending champions in Düsseldorf.

Sánchez and Ustero win on their sixth match point

Ariana Sánchez and Andrea Ustero beat world No. 1s Gemma Triay and Delfina Brea 7-5, 3-6, 7-5 in 2 hours 56 minutes. Sánchez and Ustero led 4-2 in the first set and fell behind 5-4 before winning the next three games. Triay and Brea took the second set from 3-0 up. In the third, the Spanish pair served for the match at 6-5 and won on their sixth match point, according to Diari de Tarragona.

The result has an effect on the rankings as well. According to the FIP, Sánchez and Ustero move up to second in the Race. It is also the third tournament in a row in which Triay and Brea have not reached the final.

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Fernández and Calvo save two match points

The first women's semi-final went on longer still. Claudia Fernández and Martina Calvo beat Beatriz González and Paula Josemaría 6-4, 5-7, 7-6 in 3 hours 7 minutes. González and Josemaría had two match points at 6-5 in the third set and did not convert either of them. Padel Spain reported that, in the tensest part of the match, González gave her opponents a point even though there was some doubt about whether the ball had gone out.

The women's final repeats this season's Paris final, which Sánchez and Ustero won. They have also won Rotterdam since, so a win on Sunday would give them a third Premier Padel title in a row.

Play at the Castello Düsseldorf starts at 14:00 CEST with the women's final. The men's final, Coello and Tapia against Stupaczuk and Sanz, will start no earlier than 16:00 CEST.