Sánchez-Josemaría fired up for the final: “Against Gemma and Delfi, the match of the year”

A month after Rotterdam, the magnificent four are still the same: Gemma Triay and Delfi Brea on one side, Ari Sánchez and Paula Josemaría on the other. Once again in a final — what Ari calls “the match of the year” — this time at the FIP World Cup Pairs, after two consecutive titles won by the second-seeded pair, who took full advantage of Triay-Brea’s brief absence from the Milan final and the P2 in New Giza. The two teams reach the showdown at the Arena Kuwait after their two-set victory (7-6, 6-2) over Marta Ortega and Tamara Icardo.

UPS AND DOWNS It was a tricky match for Sánchez-Josemaría. They started strong with a break in the first game and reached 5-3, but then missed four set points and the fifth-seeded pair came back to lead 6-5. That setback, however, sparked ‘Paulita’ and Ari to raise their game: “One thing that defines us is that in tense moments we bring out our best version — Sánchez said after the match. We focus 100% and do what we have to do. I think that was the key.” That focus proved crucial in the decisive first-set tiebreak: “We never gave up: we stayed very focused and played at a really high level.”

GROWING STRONGER After a rollercoaster of breaks and counter-breaks — five in a row — the second set shifted more comfortably in Paula and Ari’s favor. They took control of the match, showed off their attacking skills, and capitalized on Ortega and Icardo slowing down. The 6-2 final score perfectly reflects their growing dominance in the last part of the match. “We managed to bring out that ‘something extra’ that we were missing in the first games. We knew we couldn’t give anything away against Marta and Tamara, because they’re two warriors and every mistake costs,” added Josemaría.

THE BIG SHOWDOWN On Sunday (at 4 pm local time), it’s time for another face-off with Triay-Brea, who have beaten Paula and Ari in seven finals this year, while Sánchez-Josemaría won the P2 final in Brussels. A highly anticipated match even for the players themselves.”They’re the best pair and are playing at a super high level, but we’re in great form too — Sánchez says. The last finals went their way, but always by tiny details, and tomorrow will be another close match. We can’t wait to play it: it’s ‘the match of the year,’ the one everyone wants to watch and experience. We’ll prepare well with the whole team and hope it’s a great show for the fans. We’ll give it our all.”