Coello-Tapia into the semifinals. Arturo: “Another format for the World Cup? No. It’s fine like this, also for the ranking, and I only want to play with Agus”

Fran Guerrero and Momo González really tried — and how they tried — to take down the Giant. And they surely believed they could after winning the second set, because pushing Agustín Tapia and Arturo Coello – the No. 1 seeds of the FIP World Cup Pairs – to a third set is no everyday achievement. The result was that the match at the Arena Kuwait took off in terms of show, both on court and on the benches, where coaches Gustavo Pratto and Gabi Reca worked intensely on strategy at every change of ends. In the end, to overcome Momo and Fran, it took one hour and 48 minutes, with a score of 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, and a big scare for Agus and Arturo: at 3-2 for Momo and Fran they faced a break point that could really have turned the match upside down. And maybe that’s exactly where the difference lies between the best and the rest: “I think this is something all top pairs have in common — that extra gear in key moments,” explained Coello after the match. “In the third set we were doing the same as before, but maybe at that moment they dropped their pace a bit and we pushed harder. It’s true that the decisive break came pretty quickly, because the match was very even, but in that moment we managed to give a little extra.”

THE WORLD CUP FORMAT At one point in the press conference, the focus shifted to the World Cup format, which so far has received players’ full approval. They were asked: “Would you like it to be a World Cup for pairs of the same nationality, like it used to be?” Coello’s answer couldn’t have been clearer: “No. If the tournament didn’t give ranking points, it might be interesting to discuss it, but in this case it affects the FIP ranking, so I think it’s right to keep it as it is. And besides – King Arthur closed with a smile – I only want to play with Agustín.” Then Tapia jumped in: “Anyway, if needed, I’ve got a Spanish passport too!” Big laughs all around in a totally relaxed atmosphere. The FIP World Cup Pairs is all about that too.