Le  London Premier Padel P1  is about to experience one of the most anticipated matches of the week. This Saturday, August 8th,  Juan Lebrón / Leo Augsburger  will find  Alejandro Galán / Federico Chingotto  in the semi-final, at Olympia in London. A now-common match-up in the final four of major tournaments, but one that holds a special significance given the rivalry between  Lebron and Galan  has intensified in recent months.

The semi-finals will officially begin at  12:XNUMX p.m. local time i.e  13 p.m. in France and Spain The London P1, first stage Premier Padel organized in Great Britain, it runs until Sunday, August 9th and distributes  480,000 euros in prize money .

Galán/Chingotto dispatched swiftly in the quarterfinals

Ale Galán and Fede Chingotto enter this new clash with a lot of confidence. In the quarterfinals, the Spanish-Argentine pair left virtually no room for error.  Momo Gonzalez and Lucas Campagnolo conceding only one game.

This demonstration confirms the current strength of "Chingalán," who remains among the main challengers to world number ones Arturo Coello and Agustín Tapia. According to the latest rankings available before London,  Galán and Chingotto jointly held 3rd place in the world , behind Coello and Tapia.

In London, their consistency has once again led them to the semi-finals of a tournament. Premier PadelBut this time, a particularly familiar obstacle awaits them.

Lebrón / Augsburger are back again

On their side,  Juan Lebrón and Leo Augsburger  had to fight harder against  Coki Nieto and Jon Sanz  to secure their place in the semi-finals.

The duo continues to establish itself as one of the pairs capable of disrupting the world rankings. In the rankings prior to the London tournament, Lebrón held the  5th place in the world , right in front of Augsburger,  6e .

And since teaming up, the two men have already proven they can beat the best pairs on the circuit. Their victory at  Brussels P2 In particular, it had been obtained against Coello / Tapia in the final.

But compared to Galán / Chingotto, recent history is even more interesting.

A rivalry that has taken on a new dimension

The confrontations between the two pairs have increased in recent months.

À  Buenos Aires Galán/Chingotto had inflicted a very severe  6 / 0 6 / 3  in Lebrón / Augsburger in the semi-final.

Au  Major of Italy Jorge Martínez's men had once again gained the upper hand.  7 / 6 6 / 3 .

Then came the  Valencia P1 .

On June 13, Galán and Chingotto emerged victorious after a three-set battle.  4/6 6/3 6/4 But the sporting result had almost been overshadowed by the tension between the two former partners.

At the end of the meeting,  Ale Galán refused to shake Juan Lebrón's hand Several incidents and tense exchanges marred the end of the match, before Galán publicly described the situation as "shameful" after the game.

Galán reflects on his actions towards Lebrón: "The situation was shameful."

The image had obviously generated a lot of discussion.

Because these were not ordinary adversaries.

Lebrón and Galán, former number 1s turned rivals

Before finding themselves on opposite sides of the net,  Juan Lebrón and Alejandro Galán dominated world padel together for several seasons. .

Their separation in 2024 brought an end to one of the most significant partnerships in the recent history of professional padel. Since then, every encounter has inevitably taken on an added dimension.

And their relationship seems to have gradually cooled over the course of the matches.

The match in Valencia was one of the most visible episodes of this.

But a few weeks later, in Málaga, the rivalry would take on a new sporting dimension.

Málaga: Lebrón and Augsburger take their revenge

On July 18, in the semi-final of the  Malaga P1 Galán/Chingotto, however, seemed poised to continue their dominance.

They won the first set  6/2 .

However, Lebrón and Augsburger completely turned the game around:  2/6 6/3 7/6 , with a decisive tie-break won 9-7 and  two match points saved .

A match lasting almost two and a half hours that became one of the standout games of the season.

Lebrón and Augsburger had then qualified for the final, before succumbing to Coello/Tapia, the winners  6/2 6/2 in just 53 minutes .

This victory for Málaga had shown one thing above all:  Lebrón / Augsburger now have the weapons to defeat Galán / Chingotto in the big matches. 

A recent head-to-head match that favored Galán / Chingotto

Of the five encounters recorded since the end of the 2025 season before London, the advantage still lies with Galán / Chingotto:

  • Mexico Major 2025:  Galán / Chingotto 6/2 6/3 
  • Brussels P2 2026:  Lebrón / Augsburger 6/4 6/4 
  • Buenos Aires P1 2026:  Galán / Chingotto 6/0 6/3 
  • Italy Major 2026:  Galán / Chingotto 7/6 6/3 
  • Valencia P1 2026:  Galán / Chingotto 4/6 6/3 6/4 
  • Málaga P1 2026:  Lebrón / Augsburger 2/6 6/3 7/6 

In this sequence,  Galán/Chingotto therefore lead four wins to two , but Lebrón and Augsburger won the most recent duel in Málaga.

The context makes this semi-final particularly interesting.

On the one hand,  Galán/Chingotto arrive on a roll after a near-perfect quarter-final , with only one game conceded. On the other hand,  Lebrón/Augsburger now know they can beat them , as they demonstrated three weeks earlier in Málaga.

 Lebrón versus Galán is no longer quite a match like any other. 

After the tension in Valencia and the battle in Málaga, London now hosts the next chapter. Once again, a place in the final is at stake.

And given the recent history between the two former world number 1s, the spectacle could go far beyond the simple sporting arena.

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.

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