Melilla, Day1. Arce and Tello get off to a winning start as they dream of the Finals. Raquel and Marta Eugenio set for a twin derby

Maxi Arce and Juan Tello are among the players competing at the FIP Gold in Melilla who are still in the running for the Premier Padel Finals. To dream of a place at the Palau Sant Jordi in Barcelona, however, the two Argentinians will need to go all the way, as they did last June at the FIP Platinum in Paredes, where they won the title. Their start was certainly encouraging, with a 6-1 6-1 victory over Hugo Jimenez and Leo Cano taking them into today’s round of 16, where they will face French qualifiers Julien Biron and Thomas Basso. All the tournament’s leading seeds made it through the opening round: Edu Alonso and Aimar Goñi (2) beat Platania/Nicocia 6-2 6-2, while Jairo Bautista and Lucas Bergamini (3) defeated Palos/Alami 6-3 6-3.

 

Today, with the round of 16 under way, the leading contenders in the women’s draw will also make their debuts. Number 1 seeds Veronica Virseda and Martina Fassio (1) will face Moroccan pair Aoulad/El Houari, while Raquel Eugenio, partnering Bea Caldera (2), will take on her twin sister Marta, who is playing alongside Ainhoa Navarro. Born on 25 January in Las Palmas, the sisters have followed different paths: Raquel is enjoying an excellent run, having reached the quarter-finals of the Oysho Milano Premier Padel P1, and is already number 20 in the FIP Ranking, while Marta is ranked 230th. Whatever the result in Melilla, it will be a special day for Raquel and Marta: twin sisters in life, opponents on court, dreaming of following in the footsteps of two other twins who made padel history, Majo and Mapi Sanchez Alayeto, known as ‘las Gemelas Atomikas’.