Euro Final 8, Women’s Day3: Belgium reaches a historic semifinal! Spain finishes first in Group A

A journey that started last July in Madrid, during Phase 2, has today reached its peak with a spot in the semifinals. The Belgian women’s team achieved an incredible result at the FIP Euro Padel Cup Final 8, earning a decisive win over the Netherlands that takes Thomas Deschamps and his players to second place in Group A, just behind Spain. This result overturns all predictions and confirms the rise of the new Belgian padel generation after the historic 1999 success, when the Belgian women won bronze at the European Championship held at home, in Waterloo.

The morning at Plaza de Toros in La Línea de la Concepción started perfectly for the Red Flames, with Justine Pysson and Elyne Boeykens winning 6-0 6-2 against Weterings/Hemmes, followed by the decisive point from Helena Wyckaert and An-Sophie Mestach (double 6-2 over Betz/Groenveld) — a victory that sparked celebrations on the sidelines from the whole team. Wyckaert and Mestach had already opened Belgium’s memorable run yesterday, defeating Sofia Araujo (No.7 in the FIP Ranking) and Margarida Fernandes in the first match against Portugal. That battle continued through the next two matches, lasting almost seven hours of play, and marked a turning point for Belgium after their loss on Day 1 against the unstoppable Spain. Belgium will face on Friday, starting at 10:00, the first-placed team of Group A — a spot still contested between Italy and France.

To close the first three days of the Final 8, Spain confirmed its status as the tournament favorite. The defending champions needed just over two hours to secure two decisive wins against Portugal — first Andrea Ustero and Ale Alonso (6-0 6-1 vs Santos/Gorito), then Lucia Sainz and Martina Calvo (6-4 6-2 vs Ribeiro/Fernandes) — before the final match between Lorena Rufo/Jessica Castelló and Alexandra Silva/Jessica Para.