Riyahd P1 The first tournament of the season has brought us numerous surprises throughout the qualifying rounds, but contradictorily to the succession of these events, it has been the top couples of the ranking (both male and female) who have managed to lift the trophy. The Riyadh P1 final left us with the following analysis:
Weren’t Galan and Lebron going to break up?
Last season was not an easy one for this couple. It was marked by Lebron’s elbow injury, which kept him out of competition for several months. Everything was shaky, Ale had to look for a new partner while Juan was recovering, and they even had conversations with other partners on the circuit for this year. But as it always happens, the worse the couple is, the more strength they draw from their weaknesses.
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The Riyadh P1 final also pitted the top two couples of this new FIP ranking against each other. This first tournaments gave us an excellent match between Lebron and Ale against Tapia and Coello. A match that finished 6-7, 6-4 and 6-4. Maximum equality in a match that was decided with a tie and two breaks in the following sets.
Perhaps, Lebron and Galan were better prepared for this final because they have had a much more difficult draw. In the semifinals they beat the superpibes in another three sets, while Coello and Tapia have had more “affordable” matches. Their semi-final opponents had to withdraw due to injury to Salva Oria, who came in from the qualifiers.
The match, as reflected in the scoreboard, was very even. Perhaps this was due to the very fast conditions of the court and the fact that the two couples with the most power were on it. The number 1’s harassed Coello and Tapia at all times, and they also recovered perfectly after losing the first set. Against all odds, today we saw the “worst” version of Galan compared to what he has shown during the tournament.
Ari Sánchez and Paula Josemaría: an insurmountable wall
The women’s final pitted couple 1 and 2 against each other. Both couples reached the Riyadh P1 final without conceding a single set in their previous matches. A priori, it was a difficult match to predict due to the excellent level shown by both couples in all their previous matches. But, in this case, there was a clear winner: Paula Josemaría.
The player from Extremadura unbalanced the scales with her explosive game and her spikes; together with Ari who managed the tempo of the match as she pleased and who hardly had any unforced errors. The match finally ended 6-2 and 6-3, Delfi and Bea, who had just won four consecutive titles, didn’t have their day.
Analysing the game that Ari and Paula have developed today in the final, it is totally contrary to the dogmatic roles that we know in padel. In this couple, it was Creus who took control of the match with practically no unforced errors. And, on the other hand, the left-hander from the drive has been the one that has provided that point of aggressiveness and attack that has made them take the first title of the year.
The first stop of Premier Padel has given us a high carat show and has shown us that this year the fight for the number 1 is going to be tougher than ever. We are looking forward to the Qatar Major which takes place next week and whose draws are already known.
