FIP World Cup Pairs, Gala-Garcia take another world step: they beat Di Nenno-Augsburger and fly into the round of 16

“David is a born talent.” In June 2023, 17-year-old David Gala played in Krakow with Daniel Santigosa, wearing Spain’s shirt for the first historic time that padel appeared at the European Games. Spain’s coach Juanjo Gonzalez described him this way in an interview with the FIP website. “But let’s allow him to grow calmly,” he added. Two years and four months later, the “Chosen One,” born in 2006 and turning twenty next February, was the big star of Spain’s victory at the FIP Euro Padel Cup. But Europe now seems too small for him, because in Kuwait City he’s once again on the world’s brightest padel stage: the Kuwait Arena, home of the first and historic FIP World Cup Pairs. And this time the result is huge — in the most important tournament of all, the one that means “world champion.”

Gala, now number 42 in the FIP ranking and rising fast, together with Pablo Garcia (number 51), defeated the tournament’s number 5 seeds, Martin Di Nenno and Leo Augsburger, after three hours of battle — match points saved on both sides, comebacks, surprises, and a triple 7-6 (6-7, 7-6, 7-6). A stunning and valuable victory, achieved on the world stage. Now, David Gala will face another of the “boys from Krakow,” his fellow Spaniard Alonso Rodriguez, who, paired with another 2006-born player, the left-handed Argentinian Juan Ignacio Rubini, beat Tino Libaak and Jairo Bautista (6-4, 3-6, 6-3), the number 16 seeds.
There were also clear wins for Guerrero-Gonzalez (6-2, 6-1) and Garrido-Campagnolo (6-1, 6-2), against the Melendez brothers and Martinez-Dominguez, respectively.

In the women’s draw, Arruabarrena-Bidahorria earned a match against the number 7 seeds Martina Calvo and Alejandra Salazar, after beating Talavan-Saiz Vallejo 7-6, 3-6, 6-1.
Also moving forward is the Italian-Spanish pair Casali-Cañellas, thanks to a double 6-2 win over the wild card duo Sarkhoo (Kuwait) and Clascà (Spain).