Nieto / Yanguas and Stupaczuk / Sanz: 21 points apart and a FIP Gold Belgrade that could change everything

The battle for seeded positions is becoming so tight that some of the world's best pairs are even seeking points on the FIP Tour. Jorge Nieto/Miguel Yanguas and Franco Stupaczuk/Jon Sanz are entered in the FIP Gold in Belgrade, scheduled for August 24-30 in Serbia. Why play in a Gold tournament? when it's not even A Platinum, just days before Madrid P1? The answer lies largely in one number: 21 points.

The calendar at the end of August held a little surprise.

Between the London P1 and the resumption of Premier Padel In Madrid, some members of the world's elite could have enjoyed a few extra days without competition. But Coki Nieto / Miguel Yanguas and Franco Stupaczuk / Jon Sanz have chosen a different path: heading to Belgrade and the FIP Tour .

The FIP confirms that the FIP Gold Belgrade will take place from August 24th to 30th, 2026 , just before the Madrid P1 scheduled from August 31 to September 6.

And this trip to Serbia is far from insignificant.

Only 21 points separate the two pairs

You only need to look at the list of registered participants to understand.

With the points displayed at the time of registration:

Nieto / Yanguas: 11,697 points
Stupaczuk / Sanz: 11,676 points

Difference: 21 points.

In other words: practically nothing.

The two new associations are neck and neck in the hierarchy of pairs. Nieto/Yanguas provisionally occupy the 4th position among the registered pairs Stupaczuk / Sanz la 5e .

And in this context, a few dozen points can take on considerable importance.

Because behind the simple ranking position lies a crucial issue regarding Premier Padel : the seeding status and, consequently, the placement in the draws .

Being seeded 4th rather than 5th can significantly alter a theoretical path. The number 4 pair is protected from the top three pairs until the semi-finals, while the number 5 pair could theoretically face one of the top four pairs as early as the quarter-finals.

When only 21 points separating two associations, each opportunity therefore becomes interesting.

But why bother trying to earn points in a FIP Gold?

This is precisely what makes their presence in Belgrade interesting.

One might have imagined seeing players of this level only in the FIP Platinum , the highest category of the CUPRA FIP Tour.

But in 2026, a FIP Gold will still be far from negligible in terms of ranking.

The scale is as follows:

Result	FIP Gold
Winner	150 points
Finalist	90 points
Semi final	50 points
Quart de finale	25 points
Eighth	14 points
Sixteenth	8 points

The 2026 CUPRA FIP Tour prize structure remains identical to that introduced in 2025: 150 points for the winner of a Gold tournament , compared to 300 for a Platinum. The FIP had officially announced this increase during the overhaul of its secondary circuit.

The players' official results in 2026 confirm this: Alejandro Ruiz, for example, obtained 150 points for his victory at the FIP Gold in Ponta Delgada , while a FIP Gold final is worth 90 points.

And with only 21 points separating Nieto/Yanguas from Stupaczuk/Sanz, A difference of just one lap in Belgrade can already change the hierarchy .

150 points: what does that correspond to on Premier Padel ?

This is where the comparison becomes particularly apt.

Winning a FIP Gold award pays out 150 points per player .

Obviously, this is still very far from a victory over Premier Padel :

Racing	Winner
Major	2 pts
P1	1 pts
P2	600 pts
FIP Platinum	300 pts
FIP Gold	150 pts

But comparing only victories would be misleading.

To truly gauge Belgrade's interest, one must compare the 150 points from the winner of a Gold round across the various rounds reached on Premier Padel .

In 2026, for a male P1, the observed references are notably 360 points for a semi-final, 180 for a quarter-final, 90 for an eighth-final and 45 points for a round of 32 A victory is always worth 1,000 points. Official FIP profiles allow you to directly access these point values based on player results.

This means something quite striking:

Winning a FIP Gold is more lucrative than reaching the round of 16 of a P1.

150 points against 90.

And the victory in Gold is even relatively close to one P1 quarter-final , which yields 180 points.

Winning Belgrade is almost the accounting equivalent of a quarter of a P1

This is probably the best way to understand why two such high-ranking pairs agree to go to Serbia.

In terms of ranking:

FIP Gold victory: 150 points
Round of 8 P1: 90 points
Quarter-final P1: 180 points

A title in Belgrade therefore represents 83% of the points in a P1 quarter-final .

For a pair who are fighting within 21 points, that's huge.

This obviously does not mean that a FIP Gold tournament has the same sporting difficulty as a quarter-final of Premier PadelThe density of the draw and the level of the opponents are very different.

But the FIP ranking does not measure the subjective difficulty of the course: it assigns a precise number of points to the result obtained.

Et 150 points remain 150 points .

Even a final could be enough to upset the hierarchy

It's not even necessarily required to reach Belgrade.

A final pays out 90 points , which is already more than four times the current gap between the two pairs.

A semi-final earns 50 points , which is more than double the famous 21 points.

This is what makes the tournament particularly interesting.

If both teams achieve exactly the same result, the gap will obviously remain limited by other changes in the standings and points to defend. But as soon as one pair goes one lap further than the other Belgrade could become decisive in their battle.

Simple example: if one wins and the other is eliminated in the final, the raw difference between the two performances will be 60 points .

If one reaches the final and the other the semi-finals: 40 points .

In both cases, we are talking about a difference greater than 21 points separate them currently .

However, the FIP classification mechanism will need to be integrated: only the 22 best results are counted. A new result therefore does not automatically mean that all the points earned will be added to the total; it can replace a result already present among the 22 counted. The FIP confirms that this system of 22 tournaments will remain the one used in 2026, before its reduction to 21 in 2027.

This is a crucial distinction.

A battle that goes far beyond Belgrade

Why fight so hard for a few dozen points?

Because the battle of the seeded players can determine the coming months.

Behind the two untouchables of the moment, Coello/Tapia and Galán/Chingotto The hierarchy is much more fluid.

The registration list provided for Belgrade perfectly illustrates this situation:

Coello / Tapia culminate in 42,246 pair points , in front of Galán / Chingotto with 35 812 .

Behind them, Lebrón/Augsburger still have a margin with 16 026 points .

Then comes the real traffic jam:

Nieto / Yanguas: 11,697
Stupaczuk / Sanz: 11,676
Di Nenno / Navarro: 11,257

The battle for places 4, 5 and 6 is therefore particularly close.

And being fourth or fifth is not a minor detail.

The number 4 seed, a major issue

In a classical painting, the difference is considerable.

La number 4 seed cannot meet the top three before the semi-finals.

The number 5 seed, meanwhile, enters the group of pairs likely to face a Top 4 as early as the quarter-finals.

In a Major or a P1, where Coello/Tapia and Galán/Chingotto monopolize a large part of the last rounds, avoiding these teams for an extra round can obviously increase the chances of going far.

So it's a true circle:

Earning points allows you to get a better seed; a better seed can theoretically offer a more favorable draw; going further then allows you to earn more points.

Conversely, losing a few places can quickly complicate matters.

Belgrade just before Madrid: no coincidence

The timing adds further interest to this decision.

The FIP Gold Belgrade is scheduled from 24 at August 30 .

Le Madrid P1 starts on August 31st , before the Paris Major from September 7th to 13th. (Padel FIP)

In other words, Nieto/Yanguas and Stupaczuk/Sanz are choosing to add a week of competition to their schedule just before two major events of the European season.

The choice necessarily involves a balance between Fatigue and accounting opportunity .

But with a 21-point gap, the temptation is easy to understand.

A situation that will soon no longer be possible

And there is another particularly interesting element.

From 2027 The FIP will specifically limit the presence of the best players on its secondary circuit.

The new rules stipulate that, for FIP Gold funds, Players ranked 1st to 4th in the world will no longer be able to participate , while those classified between the 5th and 16th place will only be able to enter thanks to a wild card .

The FIP justifies this reform by the desire to preserve more opportunities for lower-ranked players and emerging talents.

The presence of several members of the world's elite in Belgrade in 2026 helps to understand why this question arises.

When 21 points are enough to send two pairs from the world's top team to Serbia

At first glance, see Nieto/Yanguas and Stupaczuk/Sanz will compete in a FIP Gold tournament. may be surprising.

In reality, the calculation is perfectly rational.

A title is worth 150 points .

A final, 90 .

A semi-final, 50 .

And only The two associations are currently separated by 21 points. in the list of registered participants.

At this level of competition, the FIP Gold in Belgrade is therefore no longer just a secondary tournament placed between two major events. Premier Padel.

It becomes a strategic step in the race for the number 4 seed .

And when you realize that a victory in a Gold tournament pays out More than just a P1 round of 16 match and almost as much as a quarter-final Their presence in Serbia immediately becomes much less surprising.

In Belgrade, Nieto/Yanguas and Stupaczuk/Sanz will not just be looking for a title.

They will be looking for points that could prove very important in the upcoming matches. Premier Padel.

NB: Note that, in the women's category, however, we will not find no players in the world's Top 20, with the exception of Victoria Iglesias, currently ranked No. 20 in the world.

Franck Binisti

Franck Binisti discovered padel at the Club des Pyramides in 2009 in the Paris region. Since then, padel has been part of his life. You often see him touring France to cover major French padel events.