Rotterdam P2: Coello and Tapia meet giant-killers in quarter-finals

Quarter-final Friday at Ahoy Rotterdam has a clear headline: Arturo Coello and Agustín Tapia, the defending champions and top seeds, take on the only unseeded pair left in the men's draw. Tino Libaak and Gonza Alfonso got there by knocking out seventh seeds Fran Guerrero and Javi Leal 7-5, 3-6, 6-4 in a match that lasted more than two hours.

According to the official order of play, the match on centre court will start no earlier than 14:30 local time. Coello and Tapia's route to the last eight was straightforward. They opened with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Álvaro Montiel and Daniel Santigosa, who had beaten Edu Alonso and Aimar Goñi in the previous round.

The race for year-end No. 1 continues

The quarter-final everyone will check first comes later in the evening session: Ale Galán and Fede Chingotto against Franco Stupaczuk and Jon Sanz. The second seeds lost only two games against Enzo Jensen and David Gala (6-0, 6-2). Stupaczuk and Sanz beat Pol Hernández and Manuel Castaño by the same 6-2, 6-2 scoreline.

The stakes are high. A Red Bull season review published on 29 September put Coello and Tapia on nine titles in 2026, including the Majors in Rome and Paris. Galán and Chingotto had seven and have not yet won a Major this year. That review gave Coello and Tapia a 1,270-point lead in the 2026 season standings, and the gap in the overall FIP ranking was larger. The circuit has seven events left, so every round in Rotterdam matters for the Spanish-Argentine pair as they chase the top spot.

The other two men's quarter-finals are fourth seeds Martín Di Nenno and Paquito Navarro, who beat qualifiers Teo Zapata and Adrián Naranjo 6-0, 6-3, against Momo González and Lucas Campagnolo, and Juan Lebrón and Leo Augsburger against Mike Yanguas and Coki Nieto. Lebrón and Augsburger, the third seeds, needed a tie-break to finish off Maxi Arce and Juan Tello 6-1, 7-6. Their only title this season came in Brussels in April.

Women's draw: injuries and an upset

The women's round of 16 was hit by injuries. Lucía Sainz and Sofía Saiz withdrew before their match against Ari Sánchez and Andrea Ustero because Sainz was injured. Spanish outlet Padel Spain called it a bitter end to a partnership that already had a farewell date set. Carmen Goenaga, who recently won the FIP Platinum in Lyon with Bea Caldera, retired with hip discomfort while trailing 3-0 against Claudia Fernández and Martina Calvo.

The surprise came from Argentina's Virginia Riera and Julieta Bidahorria. They knocked out sixth seeds Marina Guinart and Ale Alonso 6-3, 6-7, 6-3 and now play Sánchez and Ustero on Court 2 from 15:00.

The top two women's teams are both in action on centre court. World No. 1s Gemma Triay and Delfi Brea face Ale Salazar and Aranza Osoro, who beat Marta Barrera and Jana Montes in three sets. Paula Josemaría and Bea González play Marta Ortega and Sofía Araújo. Both of the top pairs had six titles each going into Rotterdam, so the race for the year-end crown is tied going into the final weeks. Claudia Fernández and Martina Calvo open the day at 10:30 against Claudia Jensen and Claudia Escacena, who is standing in for the injured Tamara Icardo.

Four tournaments in five weeks

Rotterdam starts the busiest stretch of the season. The P2 in Germany follows from 5 to 11 October, then the Milano P1 from 12 to 18 October. The Kuwait Major runs from 26 to 31 October and offers double points, because Kuwait was upgraded after the Doha Major was postponed. In Rotterdam, the semi-finals are on Saturday and the finals are on Sunday, 4 October. Full results are available on the official FIP event page.