Day5. Libaak-Alfonso, Alonso-Goñi, Tello-Arce: three pairs chasing a dream — beating Coello and Tapia

The tournament that concludes on Saturday in Kuwait is undoubtedly the craziest Major of 2026, and the one that has produced the most surprises. Of the leading pairs in the men’s entry list, only the number 1 seeds remain: the familiar Arturo Coello and Agustin Tapia, who are aiming for their fifth consecutive title after Paris — also a Major — Rotterdam, Düsseldorf and Milan. Their 6-1 6-4 victory over Jairo Bautista and Lucas Bergamini sends Coello and Tapia into a semi-final where the dominant pair of recent months will face Tino Libaak and Gonza Alfonso. Having eliminated Juan Lebron and Leo Augsburger, the Argentinians repeated the feat with a 7-6 6-1 win over Paquito Navarro and Martin Di Nenno, confirming their excellent recent form. In the bottom half, meanwhile, the absence of Fede Chingotto and Ale Galan had created a major opportunity for Franco Stupaczuk and Jon Sanz. They failed to take it, however, losing convincingly 6-1 6-2 to Edu Alonso and Aimar Goñi. In the first men’s semi-final, scheduled to start not before 16:00 local time (14:00 CET), they will face two other players battling for a place in the Barcelona Finals, Juan Tello and Maxi Arce, who beat another of the tournament’s surprise pairs, Marc Sintes and Coquito Zamora, 6-4 6-2.

 

WOMEN While the men’s semi-finals reflect a week full of surprises, the women’s draw has followed expectations: for the fourth consecutive tournament, the top four seeds will battle for the title and the 2,000 points available in the FIP Ranking and FIP Race. In the semi-final in the top half of the draw, Delfi Brea and Gemma Triay, and Claudia Fernandez and Martina Calvo, reached the last four with identical 6-1 6-0 victories over Nuria Rodriguez and Giulia Dal Pozzo, and Marta Ortega and Sofia Araujo, respectively. Ari Sanchez and Andrea Ustero, meanwhile, came close to defeat before eventually overcoming Tamara Icardo and Claudia Jensen 3-6 6-4 7-5. That result sets up a meeting between the Paris champions, who also won the most recent tournament in Milan, and Paula Josemaria and Bea Gonzalez — a repeat of the final at the Allianz Cloud. Josemaria and Gonzalez wrapped up Lorena Rufo and Victoria Iglesias‘s run with a 6-2 6-4 victory.