The Málaga P1 has come to an end. Sunday’s finals at the Martín Carpena saw two matches that were completely different from one another, but which ultimately handed the title to the respective couples. Here’s how each final unfolded.
What happened in the Málaga P1 finals?
That makes seven now, five in a row
The titles Coello and Tapia have won this season, five of them in a row. They had already racked up 22 consecutive victories since the Buenos Aires P1 in June, and Málaga has simply extended that run. There isn’t much to analyse about this final: they were far superior to Lebrón and Augsburger from start to finish, in a practically perfect match where, paradoxically, the most interesting moments took place on the benches.
During some of the changes, Augsburger looked completely out of his depth, almost admitting out loud that he couldn’t find any openings to get past his opponents, whilst Lebrón tried resorting to risky shots to cause the world number ones some trouble. There was little he could do: it was the third final that Lebrón and Augsburger had contested together, and all three, curiously, were against Coello and Tapia. They’ve only won one, in Brussels, and this Sunday wasn’t their day either. Tapia, incidentally, now has 60 career titles to his name; Lebrón, on the other hand, was denied what would have been his tenth padel title.
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A mere formality for the number ones, who cruised to victory without breaking a sweat, taking the fast track to the title with overwhelming superiority. A 6-2, 6-2 win on a day when they played as more cohesive couples – a quality that Leo and Juan still lack and which only time can provide.
Three hours of women’s battle for the crown
The first match of the day was a complete contrast, pitting Gemma Triay and Delfi Brea against Bea González and Paula Josemaría. Yet another instalment in this season’s great rivalry, with an added incentive: Josemaría and González went into the match with a 5-1 lead in head-to-head encounters between the two couples, with almost all of those victories coming in finals. Three hours of battle, a tactical and intense match, with the momentum swinging back and forth between the two couples on the court.
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It couldn’t have been decided more fairly than in the third-set tie-break. There, Paula and Bea showed far more haste, and lacked the composure and mental strength that the number ones did possess. Triay and Brea claimed the title 7-5/3-6/7-6, their first P1-category title this season, having already won the Italian Major and two P2 titles in Cancún and Gijón. With this victory, Gemma Triay also regains sole possession of second place in the all-time women’s padel titles ranking, ahead of Ari Sánchez and just two behind Alejandra Salazar’s record.
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