The draws. Chingotto and Galan return to Kuwait as world champions. Josemaria vs Sanchez? Only possible in the semi-finals

Padel fans are in for three unmissable weeks. First comes the Major in Kuwait, followed by the FIP World Cup in Doha and then the P1 in Dubai. The action begins at The Arena Kuwait, which hosted the inaugural FIP World Cup Pairs last year, won by Fede Chingotto and Ale Galan in the men’s competition and Paula Josemaria and Ari Sanchez in the women’s. While the ‘Chingalan’ duo will look to reclaim a title they have not won since Madrid, before Arturo Coello and Agustin Tapia began their run of four consecutive titles, Paula Josemaria and Ari Sanchez could meet as early as the semi-finals, having both been drawn in the bottom half of the main draw.

 

WOMEN The winning pairs at the third Major of the year will each earn 2,000 points (the fourth will take place in Acapulco in November). The top four seeds will enter the competition in the round of 16, with Delfi Brea and Gemma Triay, and Claudia Fernandez and Martina Calvo, drawn in the top half. The number 1 seeds, who like Chingotto and Galan have not won since Madrid, could make their debut against Jessica Castelló and Laia Rodriguez. Fernandez and Calvo, meanwhile, are in the same section of the draw as Jimena Velasco and Raquel Eugenio. Martina Fassio and Veronica Virseda, currently competing at the FIP Gold in Melilla, could be the first opponents for Ari Sanchez and Andrea Ustero, the champions in Milan. If Jana Montes and Marta Barrera win their first two matches, they would face Josemaria and Gonzalez. Potential quarter-finals: Brea/Triay (1) vs Guinart/Alonso (7); Ortega/Araujo (5) vs Fernandez/Calvo (4); Sanchez/Ustero (3) vs Icardo/Jensen (6); Salazar/Osoro (8) vs Josemaria/Gonzalez (2).

 

MEN Paris, Rotterdam, Düsseldorf, Milan. Coello and Tapia arrive on the back of four consecutive titles, aiming to win in Kuwait too after losing last year’s final. The world number ones will begin against either Valenzuela/Gil or Abbate/Dal Bianco. Also in their half of the draw are Juan Lebron and Leo Augsburger, finalists at the Allianz Cloud, who will face either Hernandez/Martinez or a qualifying pair. In the bottom half, number 4 seeds Franco Stupaczuk and Jon Sanz will start against either Rodriguez/Garcia or Fernandez/Diestro. Chingotto and Galan, meanwhile, will begin against wild cards Castillo/Hossam or Perino/Dominguez. Coki Nieto returns to action as the number 6 seed alongside Mike Yanguas. These are the potential quarter-finals: Coello/Tapia (1) vs Nieto/Yanguas (6); Di Nenno/Navarro (5) vs Lebron/Augsburger (3); Stupaczuk/Sanz (4) vs Guerrero/Leal (7); Gonzalez/Campagnolo (8) vs Chingotto/Galan (2).