Men’s Day 3: top teams reach the quarter-finals, celebrations for the Netherlands, Sweden and Germany!

Argentina, Spain, Italy and Portugal finish top of their groups. Historic first quarter-final appearances for the Netherlands, Sweden and Germany.

 

DOHA – A place among the world’s top eight teams was at stake, and the quality of the matches reflected the importance of the occasion, making for an exciting evening of Padel. The group stage of the men’s FIP World Cup in Doha has come to an end, with Argentina, Spain, Italy and Portugal finishing top of their respective groups, while Sweden, Germany, Brazil and the Netherlands have also secured their places in the tournament’s quarter-finals.

 

It was the Netherlands who achieved a historic milestone in Group A, reaching the quarter-finals after the women’s team had already done so, marking a double achievement never before recorded. The Oranje rounded off the group stage in style with a win over Australia, thanks to victories for Sten Richters and Thijs Roper (6-3 7-6 against Brown/Melisi), Bram Meijer and Menno Nolten (6-2 6-1 against Bechard/Ashenden), and Jort Nolten and Nicolas Van Betuw (6-1 6-4 against Navarro/Velickovic). Argentina and France also produced an exciting contest, with Maxime Joris and Timeo Fonteny making a flying start and taking the first set 7-5 against Agustin Tapia and Tino Libaak, before the Albiceleste fought back to win 6-3 6-4. The world champions then sealed the tie through Fede Chingotto and Franco Stupaczuk, who beat Boronad/Fonteny 6-2 6-1.

 

Group B ended with Spain completing a clean sweep, closing the first stage of the World Cup with a 3-0 win over the United Arab Emirates. Juan Lebron and Javi Leal, Paquito Navarro and Jon Sanz, and Mike Yanguas and Coki Nieto secured the three points for Spain. Sweden were also celebrating:  another European team making steady progress, they secured a 2-1 win over Paraguay through victories for Albin Olsson/Douglas Rutgersson and Willy Slaryd/Adam Axelsson, taking the Scandinavians into the world’s top eight for the first time.

 

 

Europe also made its mark in Group C, with Portugal securing top spot thanks to a 2-1 win over Chile. The victories came from the Deus brothers and Diogo Jesus and Antonio Luque, following the point claimed by Javi Valdes and Cristobal Molina. Chile’s defeat opened the door for Germany, who also reached the quarter-finals with a 2-1 win over Qatar. Agustin Reca and Matthias Wunner, followed by Christian Bohenke and Nick Merten, secured Germany’s first-ever World Cup quarter-final appearance, while the Nawaf brothers once again claimed a point for Al-Annabi.

 

Group D ended with Italy at the top. The Azzurri won the decisive tie against Brazil, with victories for Alvaro Montierl/Flavio Abbate and Aris Patiniotis/Giulio Graziotti. Stefano Palma and Julio Julianoti secured a point for Brazil, who finished second ahead of Mexico and the United States. All teams will be back on court on Thursday from 6 pm, as the race for the world title enters its decisive stage.

 

QUARTER-FINALS – POSITIONS 1-8

 

Argentina (1A) – Germany (2C)

Italy (1D) – Sweden (2B)

Spain (1B) – Brazil (2D)

Portugal (1C) – Netherlands (2A)

 

QUARTER-FINALS – POSITIONS 9-16

 

France (3A) – Qatar (4C)

Mexico (3D) – United Arab Emirates (4D)

Paraguay (3B) – USA (4D)

Chile (3C) – Australia (4A)