Coello and Tapia remain untouchable: they triumph in Kuwait too and finish as world number ones for the fourth consecutive season

The best are still the same two: Arturito and Agus, inseparable since 26 February 2023, the date of their first tournament together. Padel has never been the same since that day, as Coello and Tapia set out to win everything. Just 57 minutes were enough to mathematically secure their place at the top of the FIP Ranking and the FIP Race for 2026, as they had done in each of the previous three seasons. That was all Coello and Tapia needed to defeat Juan Tello and Maxi Arce 6-1 6-1 and claim the Major in Kuwait. Another 2,000 points, another title – their 13th of the season and fifth in a row, following Paris, Rotterdam, Düsseldorf and Milan. They are now just one title away from equalling their record of 14 in a calendar year, set in 2024. The two padel juggernauts still have three tournaments ahead of them: the Dubai P1, the Acapulco Major and the Barcelona Finals, which they also won last year.

There seems to be no stopping them. Apart from Chingotto/Galan (who have been a regular partnership since March 2024), the pairs behind them keep changing, but no one has found the right combination to crack the code and contain the dominance of the Spaniard and the Argentine. Their victory over Arce and Tello was their 23rd in a row. That is still some way short of the 47-match winning streak they recorded in 2024, which ended with defeat against Nieto and Sanz at the Finals, but the feeling is that they are an almost faultless winning machine. The numbers speak for themselves: today’s triumph was their 44th title in 83 tournaments played together. In other words, Coello and Tapia win more than one tournament in every two they enter. Their partnership records and individual records continue to be updated week after week. With his victory in Kuwait, Tapia drew level with Pablo Lima on 66 titles, moving into third place among the most successful players in history. Ahead of him are Juan Martin Diaz, with 116, and the seemingly untouchable Fernando Belasteguin, with 162. But Agus is only 27, and alongside Coello, there is a sense that nothing is impossible.

“We have to congratulate Juan and Maxi, but for us this has been a week in which we have fulfilled another dream”, said Coello. “A thousand things are going through my mind. This is our fourth year together with Agustin; we have been through so much, and I have to thank everyone who has been by our side. We didn’t make the best start to the year, but throughout the season we have shown that we are competitive”. “I’m very happy and emotional”, added Tapia. “I’m playing for the team I love, and I thank God for giving me this moment. I also want to thank Arturo, who has taught me so much: how to be a better person and a better player”.

After these five consecutive titles, it will feel strange not to see them playing together for a week. But one of the great – indeed, the very best – things about padel is that there is always another story to be written. And next Saturday, on the day of the FIP World Cup final in Doha, only one of Tapia’s Argentina, the defending champions, and Coello’s Spain will be able to celebrate.