Ponta Delgada, top players set for Azores showdown
March 5, 2026
A stunning setting for the first FIP Gold of 2026. Ponta Delgada, in the Azores, will host a tournament featuring numerous top 100 players, offering 150 points for the FIP Ranking. Leading the men’s main draw — 32 pairs starting Friday — are the “Javis”, Javi Barahona and Javi Garcia, while in the lower half Juanlu Esbri and Alex Ruiz advance, with Ruiz aiming for another FIP Gold after his 2025 victory in Mexico alongside Agustin Torre.
Behind the top two seeds, competition is intense, beginning with Jose Jimenez and Maxi Sanchez Blasco, winners of the FIP Gold in Gran Canaria in 2025, who could meet Ruiz–Torre in the semifinals. Also in contention are Jose Diestro and Andres Fernandez Lancha (4), who may face Lucho Capra and Victor Ruiz (6) before potentially meeting Barahona–Garcia in the semis. Portuguese top player Nuno Deus is also present, again partnering with the Frenchman Thomas Leygue.
The women’s draw also features 32 pairs, with Patty Llaguno and Martina Fassio at the top. Following them is another Argentine–Spanish pairing, Julieta Bidahorria and Marta Caparros. Among the top 50 are Marta Borrero and Ksenia Sharifova (3), while home players include Ana Catarina Nogueira with Laura Lujan (4) and another Portuguese national, Constança Gorito, alongside Claudia Gaspar.
