Lebron, the Superpibes 3.0, the champions Nieto and Sanz: Barcelona can be the theatre of dreams

Pairs that reunite, crossings against the former partners, the challenges to the dominators of the circuit: in Barcelona there are many players that want to write history in the men’s draw of the Qatar Airways Premier Padel Finals. At the Palau Sant Jordi the goal is common: to beat the first two pairs in the world – Coello-Tapia and the Chingalan – and sculpt their name in the roll of honour of the prestigious tournament that closes the season, and that for the weekend has already registered a double sold out.

Among these stars surely shines one of the players that has written – and wants to continue doing it – the history of the “pala”: Juan Lebron, first Spanish player to become number one in the world and currently in the fifth place in the FIP ranking, who will go down on court together with his new partner Leo Augsburger, ready for his absolute debut in the tournament of Barcelona, and with whom he reached the semifinal of the Major of Acapulco in the first tournament played together. The two will face already in the quarterfinals other two world top players that they know very well: Martin Di Nenno – former partner precisely of Leo and with whom Lebron last year arrived one step from the final precisely in Barcelona – and Franco Stupaczuk, partner of El Lobo until the P1 of Dubai one month ago. A match with a special taste then also for the two Argentines, with Stupa who assures: “After the emotion of returning on court together in Mexico, now we are focused on the Finals. It is a special appointment and we are ready to do well”, as a testimony of how much desire they have in the first place to see again on court the Superpibes at high levels precisely in one of the most awaited tournaments of the year.

On the other side of the draw here is a pair protagonist of a positive season and ready to dream even bigger: the one formed by Coki Nieto, defending champion in Barcelona after the victory of last year with Jon Sanz (the two, in the final, stopped the series of 47 consecutive victories of Coello and Tapia), and by Mike Yanguas who has the clear ideas: “From a room full of dreams to the magic of the court, I am ready for the Finals”. Words of the class 2002 that arrive at the end of a 2025 in which arrived the semifinals of the FIP World Cup Pairs, of the Major of Paris and of the Major in Qatar, but in which the sharp note of a success is missing and the desire to conquer it precisely in Barcelona obviously is big.

To confirm himself, also Coki will have to immediately face his past: on the other side of the net in the quarterfinals there will be precisely Sanz in pair with the other star of the circuit and former number one in the world Paquito Navarro, ready to inflame once again the Palau Sant Jordi and “play his pala” as he has done this year in the FIP Platinum of his Sevilla. Precisely in that occasion Paquito had triumphed in pair with Lucas Bergamini, who dedicated him the victory seeing the special taste: for Navarro it was the first since he became a father. Also for these gestures the Brazilian is one of the “idols of the people”, one of those that excite the public always attentive to “steal” his secrets of a vibora or of a chiquita to then propose it on court. Dreams big also Lucas – on court this year with Javi Leal after the experience of 2024 in pair with Javi Garrido – already from the debut of fire against the number one in the world and dominators of the circuit, Coello and Tapia.

And between the stars ready to light up the Palau Sant Jordi, already all sold out for semifinals and finals, there is also the other idol of the people: Momo Gonzalez, the “gentle champion”, who after each match – both the ones won and the ones lost – stops to sign maxi-balls or to take selfies and sign autographs. He hopes to do it with one smile more this year in Barcelona – in pair with Fran Guerrero – where he wants to repeat the enterprise in the quarterfinals against the Chingalan after having beaten them in 2024 in pair with Edu Alonso.