The draws. Coello and Tapia defend their title. Ustero returns where she won for the first time

From one P2 to another, from Spain to France, from Valladolid to Bordeaux. With barely any time to reflect on the excitement of Plaza Mayor, where Arturo Coello and Agustin Tapia claimed the men’s title and Paula Josemaria and Bea Gonzalez lifted the women’s trophy, the Qatar Airways Premier Padel Tour moves to the Patinoire de Mériadeck for another week of top-level competition. Coello and Tapia arrive as the defending champions in Bordeaux, while last year’s women’s title was won by Sofia Araujo and Andrea Ustero, who captured her first Premier Padel title there at just over 18 years of age.

 

MEN The men’s draw features 28 pairs, with play beginning tomorrow alongside the women’s tournament. The top four seeds receive a bye into Thursday’s round of 16. Coello and Tapia will open their campaign against either Pol Hernandez and Guille Collado or one of the qualifying pairs. Fede Chingotto and Ale Galan will begin their tournament against either another qualifying pair or David Gala and Enzo Jensen. In the bottom half of the draw are Franco Stupaczuk and Mike Yanguas (4), who will face either wild cards Boronad/Fontany or Tino Libaak and Alex Chozas. In the top half, Juan Lebron and Leo Augsburger have been drawn against either Javi Barahona and Gonza Alfonso or Mario Ortega and Victor Ruiz in the round of 16. Potential quarter-final match-ups are: Coello/Tapia (1) vs Gonzalez/Campagnolo (8), Di Nenno/Navarro (6) vs Lebron/Augsburger (3), Stupaczuk/Yanguas (4) vs Guerrero/Leal (7), and Nieto/Sanz (5) vs Chingotto/Galan (2).

 

WOMEN Eight of the 24 pairs in the women’s draw also receive a bye into the round of 16. Following their triumph in Valladolid, Josemaria and Gonzalez (2) will face either Lucia Sainz and Jana Montes or Alix Collombon and Ksenia Sharifova. In the top half, Delfi Brea and Gemma Triay will take on France’s Lea Godallier, partnered by Argentina’s Daiara Valenzuela, or Bea Caldera and Carmen Goenaga. A challenging draw awaits Ari Sanchez and Andrea Ustero, finalists in Valladolid, who could begin their campaign against Nuria Rodriguez and Giulia Dal Pozzo, the Plaza Mayor semi-finalists, provided they come through their opening-round match against a qualifying pair. The projected quarter-finals are: Brea/Triay (1) vs Guinart/Virseda (8), Salazar/Alonso (7) vs Sanchez/Ustero (3), Fernandez/Araujo (4) vs Icardo/Jensen (5), and Ortega/Calvo (6) vs Josemaria/Gonzalez (2).