The Spaniard from Malaga, Jairus Baptist, stopped at the microphone of The House of Padel to discuss several topics, including his change of partner. The 21-year-old player leaves his teammate Francisco Guerrero to associate with Eduardo Alonso from the next tournament Premier Padel in Paraguay.

Last season

Last season was mixed for Jairus Baptist, with a first half without major results, first alongside Jaime Muñoz, then with Gonzalo Rubio.

“I think there's always a bit of nervousness at the start of a season. I started with Chipi, like last year. We didn't have any bad results, but I felt I could do more.
Then I played with Gonzalo, a great guy, but the results weren't there either."

A turning point came in June, with its association with Francisco Guerrero and participation in FIP competitions:

“Then I started with Fran, after two quick changes. And with Fran, I felt our game was working really well. The results started coming in at the end of the season.”

The two Spaniards, who had already played together in their youth, quickly found chemistry. The result: five FIP titles won, including the FIP Finals December 11, 2024 to conclude the year.

“We'd been training together since we were kids, we'd already played together, and I felt it could work well. And that was confirmed by the good results at the end of the season.”

On the circuit Premier Padel, the pair Bautista / Guerrero has only reached the quarter-finals once: during the Kuwait P1 early November. They had achieved a landmark victory in the round of 3 against the number XNUMX seed Lebron / Di Nenno (7/5 6/2), before losing to the world number 1 Coello / Tapia in the semi-finals.

“At that moment, I felt capable of anything. But Tapia and Coello really calmed us down and brought us back down to earth.
But it's true that after eliminating Lebrón and Dinenno, I was on cloud nine. And playing a semi-final against those guys was a dream.”

Separation from Guerrero

This season, Bautista / Guerrero reached the round of 16 in each of the five tournaments played, without however passing this milestone.

“It's not a bad start. Coming out of the top 16, we always ran into a top 8 seed in the round of XNUMX. It's tough, they're all playing really well. We didn't manage to get past that wall, but we tried.”

Seeds No. 11 in the Brussels P2, their last tournament together, they hoped to qualify for the Final Master from Barcelona at the end of the season:

“This year, Fran and I wanted to qualify for the Masters.”

But their collaboration ended after the Belgian tournament:

“I think it came more from me. I had confidence in him, he's a great guy, but on the pitch, his character is very intense. It ended up wearing me down.”

A change of partner was therefore necessary for Jairus Baptist, even if he does not exclude a return of the pair in the future:

“I'm not ruling out playing with him again one day, but for now, I needed a change.”

Guerrero and Bautista, curtains on Brussels P2

New adventure with Edu Alonso

Jairus Baptist (21st in the world) has chosen to continue the season with Eduardo Alonso (13th), who is coming out of a somewhat disappointing period alongsideAlex Arroyo, marked by only one quarter-final (in Qatar Major).

The new pair Bautista / Alonso will start at theAsunción P2, on May 18, with the status of 8th world pair.

“It's a motivation because I might not be playing against the top 8 from the start. Pressure too, because I'd like to stay in that top 8. It's tough, there are a lot of good pairs just behind, but I'm going to defend my place.”

The two Spaniards will therefore have the advantage of avoiding the best teams from the first rounds. Baptist could thus reach its first quarter-final of the season, even if the objective remains to establish itself permanently in the Top 8 and to obtain qualification for the Final Master.

To Baptist, the choice ofEduardo Alonso relies as much on sporting qualities as on attitude:

“Anger, fighting spirit. We're the same age (2001). We've played against each other a lot. He's always beaten me (laughs). But I have a lot of respect for him. He's super professional for our age. I like that.”

He, who dreams of one day becoming world number 1, hopes to continue to progress with his new partner:

“Becoming world number one, like everyone else. But just experiencing what I'm experiencing is incredible. I played against Vela, my idol since I was little, with Juan Martín by my side… It was unreal.”

Nicolas Fillaudeau

A big sports enthusiast and former tennis player, I discovered padel a few years ago without really focusing on it. Then I became addicted to this sport by practicing it and watching the premier padel matches. Looking forward to sharing the 2025 news with you!

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