There are some matches that we win.
And there are matches where you survive.

The women's semi-final of  Asunción P2  across  Paula Josemaría / Bea González  et  Sofía Araújo / Claudia Fernández  has clearly shifted into the second category.

After more than two and a half hours of a grueling battle, the world number 2 players emerged victorious.  3/6 7/5 6/2  to find once again  Gemma Triay and Delfi Brea  in the final. That will already be the  fifth consecutive final  between the two best rivalries on the women's circuit.

 Araújo and Claudia start off in steamroller mode 

The start of the match is totally to the advantage of  Sofia Araújo and Claudia Fernández .

Gaby Reca's players took to the court with tremendous intensity and aggression. Everything was working: the power of the "Lioness of Lisbon," Claudia Fernández's impressive court coverage, and superb quality in attacking transitions.

Opposite,  Paula and Bea completely missed the mark in their opening game. .

Very quickly, the score climbs to  3/0  for the world number 4 pair. Josemaría and González are making numerous unforced errors and seem completely lost in the rallies.

The first set logically went to Araújo / Fernández:  6/3 .

 The turning point of the match in a completely crazy second set 

The second set starts in exactly the same way.

Another quick break for Araújo and Claudia, who take the lead  3/1  and seem to be heading towards the final.

But at that moment, the Spanish women will rediscover their survival instinct.

Under the very forceful encouragement of  Claudio Gilardoni Bea and Paula completely change their attitude. The Italian coach tries to reawaken his players, and his adjustments completely change the dynamic.

Little by little, the world number 2s get back into the match until they equalize at  3/3 .

Behind them, the match descended into total madness:
five consecutive breaks, endless exchanges and enormous tension on every point.

À  5/5 Paula and Bea finally manage to hold their serve before breaking immediately to clinch the second set.  7/5 .

A huge blow for Araújo and Fernández, who had the match in their hands.

 Bea and Paula accelerate in the third 

The start of the third set remains tense with another quick break by the world number 4 pair.

But this time, Paula and Bea clearly regained mental control of the match.

More aggressive, more solid in important moments and much more tactically astute, they are gradually accelerating.

The decisive break came in the sixth game, before the end of the match was completely controlled by the world number 2s.

Final victory:
 3/6 7/5 6/2 .

 A fifth consecutive final against Triay / Brea 

This victory allows  Bea González and Paula Josemaría  to find once again  Gemma Triay and Delfi Brea  finally.

This will already be the  fifth consecutive final  between the two best pairs at the moment.

And for the moment, the psychological advantage clearly seems to lie with the world number 2s:

  • victory at  Miami 
  • victory at  Newgiza 
  • victory at  Brussels 

Three consecutive victories against world number 1s.

 A warning before the final 

Although Paula and Bea once again demonstrated tremendous mental strength, this semi-final also revealed some weaknesses.

For much of the game, they were dominated by an impressive Araújo/Fernández pairing, probably at their best level of the season.

But once again, the world's number 2 players proved why they are the team in form on the circuit today: even on a bad day, they find a way to win.

The classic women's padel tournament is back.

Benjamin Dupouy

I discovered padel directly during a tournament, and frankly, I didn't really like it at first. But the second time, it was love at first sight, and since then, I haven't missed a single match. I'm even ready to stay up until 3am to watch a final of Premier Padel !

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