All eyes on the stars at Center Court

All together, all at once. The Arena Kuwait is getting ready for a day when, on the same court, the chasers and the leaders of the FIP Ranking will take the stage — ten top players, ten stars, men and women alike, who from noon until night will turn the FIP World Cup Pairs into a full-on show.

On the BNK Central Court, the first taste of Thursday’s round of 16 is set for 12 p.m. local time, the moment the women’s world No.1s make their debut: Gemma Triay and Delfi Brea are back to thrill the crowd one month after the Milano P1, taking on Bea Caldera and Carmen Goenaga. Right after that, it’s Ari Sanchez and Paula Josemaria’s turn — since Milan, they’ve been flying high again, on court and in the rankings, finding fresh energy in their chase of Triay and Brea. After back-to-back titles in Milan and Newgiza, the No.2 seeds will start their World Cup journey against Martina Fassio and Patty Llaguno, a new pairing facing their first real test after a strong debut win at last week’s FIP Silver in Dubai.

The parade of stars continues in the afternoon, still on BNK Central Court — this time with the men taking over. It all starts with “King” Arturo Coello and Agustin “Mozart” Tapia, facing Alex Ruiz and Juanlu Esbri in a rematch of the Milan round of 16 won by the world No.1s. Then it’s time for the “Chingalán” duo, who started strong today with a 6-1 6-0 win over Maxi Sanchez and Xisco Gil; Ale Galan and Fede Chingotto will now meet Goenaga/Hernandez, winners earlier today against Garcia/Barahona The final match of the day, not before 8 p.m., will see Guille Collado and Pol Hernandez take on Franco Stupaczuk and Juan Lebron — a player whose résumé, talent, and experience make him shine naturally among the world’s elite.

Three other courts will also host top-class action throughout this World Cup showcase: on Court Alghanim, Coki Nieto and Mike Yanguas open the day against Gutierrez/Alfonso, followed by Andrea Ustero and Sofia Araujo taking on Barrera/Velasco. Not before 6 p.m., Canovas/Rodriguez will face Claudia Fernandez and Bea Gonzalez, who are also making their return after the Milan final. Salazar/Calvo vs. Sainz/Eugenio and Ortega/Icardo vs. Aguilar/Navarro are the highlight matches on Court Burgan Bank, while Momo Gonzalez and Fran Guerrero will take to Court KDD to face Garrido/Campagnolo.