Ari and Paula, the third in a row is as big as the world

Ari Sánchez and Paula Josemaría’s third straight win is the sweetest one yet. Because winning the very first, historic FIP World Cup Pairs – the world championship for padel pairs – puts you right into the most exciting pages of this sport’s history. Not to mention the 2,000 points earned in the FIP Ranking and in the Race toward the Finals in Barcelona. Ari and Paula have now closed the gap with today’s defeated rivals – Gemma Triay and Delfi Brea – to just 1,510 points, and with 3,000 more points still up for grabs between Dubai and Mexico, anything can still happen.

CRAZY START Let’s talk about the match at the Arena Kuwait. A double 6-3 win over their long-time rivals – a clear victory in what was a strange and, in some ways, “crazy” match, with six breaks in the first set and nine overall. That’s something you rarely see at this level, especially when the world’s top two pairs are facing off. Ari was out of this world; Paula was brilliant, stepping in at exactly the right moments. Bit by bit, they built a win that’s basically the blueprint of how great defense can turn into offense. The Gemma Triay we saw today wasn’t the best version of her game, although in the diagonal duel won by Ari it’s hard to tell where Gemma’s faults end and Sánchez’s excellence begins – Ari was almost perfect, even after a slow start. They imagined world-class padel and then simply went out and played it.

FINAL TAKEAWAY After all the breaks and counter-breaks in the first six games, Ari and Paula pulled ahead to take the set 6-3. In the second, the same kind of rhythm continued, though with a few fewer breaks. Triay and Brea couldn’t find a reaction, and at 2-2 came the turning point – a break on Triay’s serve and another 6-3 to seal it, followed by Paula and Ari’s roar of victory. That’s three straight titles after Milan and Newgiza – but this time, in a World Cup that also delivers crucial ranking points. The head-to-head record still favors Gemma and Delfi, who have won seven of their nine meetings. The set count now stands at 15–9, while the gap in total games is narrowing: Gemma and Delfi have 118, while their rivals climb to 104.