The semi-finals of the World Padel Championship in Doha will see Spain and Portugal face off on one side, and Argentina and Italy on the other. In Qatar, the intensity was at its peak in the quarter-finals, especially for the clash between France and Portugal, which captivated the audience at the Khalifa Tennis & Squash Complex.
France opened the scoring with a victory of Collombon/Ginier Barbier on Fernandes/Gaspar. However, the Portuguese Ribeiro/Araujo responded by beating Pothier/Soubrie, thus bringing the teams back to equality. Finally, Santos and Nogueira sealed the victory against Touly/Godallier in three sets: 2/6, 6/4, 6/4, after two hours and thirteen minutes of intense fighting. Portugal will therefore face Spain in the semi-finals.
The Spanish secured their place by beating Sweden without too much difficulty: Claudia Fernandez/Ari Sanchez swept Girdo/Bjork 6/1, 6/0, and Marta Ortega/Jessica Castelló took over Arvidsson/Navarro in three sets, 6/7, 6/2, 6/1.
On their side, argentina dominated the Netherlands calmly and quickly 3-0. Aranzazu Osoro and Julieta Bidahorria opened hostilities with a 6/2 6/0 against From Vocht/Betz, While Delfi Brea and Claudia Jensen chained a 6/0 6/1 against Koek/Luttikhuis. Virginia Riera and Daiara Valenzuela have assured against Women/Weterings 6/2 6/3. Italy will be their next opponents after their 2-0 victory against Brazil, with Carolina Orsi/Carlotta Casali (6/2 6/0 against Abbud de Barros/Cirne) and Emily Stellato/Giulia Sussarello (6/4 6/0 against Schuck/Abarzua).
Women's quarter-final results:
- Spain – Sweden: 2/0
- Portugal – France: 2/1
- Argentina – Netherlands: 3/0
- Italy – Brazil: 2/0
Women's semi-finals:
- Spain – Portugal
- Argentina – Italy
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.