Kuala Lumpur, Vilariño-Del Castillo target another title

New tournament, same objective: victory. Ignacio Vilariño and Mario Del Castillo, ranked n. 64 and 57 in the FIP Ranking, arrive at the FIP Bronze in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, aiming to secure their third title together on the CUPRA FIP Tour 2026. The pair have already triumphed at the FIP Silver in Parma and the FIP Bronze in Doha, while Vilariño also claimed the FIP Bronze in Mumbai alongside Gonzalo Rubio. The No. 1 seeds are placed in the top half of the draw along with a pair seeking their first title of the year on the circuit: Pau Miñano and Pepe Aliaga. In the opposite half are Gustavo Nunes and “Tonet” Sans, finalists at last week’s FIP Bronze in Baku, and Julian Prins-Youp De Kroon. De Kroon and the Portuguese Nunes have previously faced each other in the final of the FIP Bronze in Crete in July 2025: on that occasion, the Dutch player prevailed, while a potential rematch this time would take place in the semi-finals.

In the women’s draw, the clear favourites for victory are the No. 1 seeds: Julia Polo and Patri Martínez, ranked n.51 and 56 in the FIP Ranking. The former arrives in Malaysia following her success at the FIP Bronze in Eidsvoll with Laura Luján, while the latter claimed the FIP Bronze in Kaunas earlier this year. Their main challengers are Marcella Koek-Bo Luttikhuis (2) and the pair Catarina Santos-Camilla Ramme (3). The latter triumphed at their home tournament in Mexico, the FIP Bronze in Aguascalientes, last weekend. Other competitive pairs include Patricia Araus-Anastasiia Ryzhova (4) and Constança Gorito-Clarinha Santos (5).