When fate intervenes: Thomas Vanbauce and Simon Wagner, seeded 3 in the qualifiers, find themselves in the Gijón P2 main draw without having won a single match. And yes, it is possible!

Everything started well for the French pair, who benefited from a bye to the first round qualifications. In the second round, she took advantage of the unfortunate forfeit of Nicolas Rouanet and Pierre Vincent (Editor’s note: Vincent has withdrawn for medical reasons). Having reached the small final of the qualifications, Wagner and Vanbauce lose 6/2 6/2 to Gonzalez/Zamora. One might think that their adventure ends there… but that was without counting on destiny.

The incredible scenario of Vanbauce / Wagner in Gijon P2 and the possible second round against... Raichman

A lucky loser… lucky!

Thanks to their status as lucky loser, Vanbauce and Wagner finally make it to the main draw of the tournament. But that's not all: they will face a pair that hasn't played a single match yet in this competition! A rather rare situation, due to a series of cascading forfeits, allowed Pablo Pastor and Samuel Rivas to enter the table via an even more improbable status: Lucky Loser Invited (LLI), i.e. a direct qualification into the main draw due (again) to last-minute withdrawals.

The draw could even be favorable to the French. Pablo Pastor (194th) and Samuel Rivas (447th) have a lower team weight to that of Vanbauce (196th) and Wagner (364th). However, nothing is decided. Pastor, a powerful Spaniard of1m92, will be a formidable opponent. At his side, Samuel Rivas, only 16 years old, is experiencing his first professional tournament and represents the new generation of Spanish padel. On the circuit FIP Tour, he has not yet signed a notable performance, but the opportunity is immense for him.

Fun fact, Pastor wasn't even supposed to be paired with Rivas. He was originally listed alongside the Frenchman. Julien Seurin, forced to withdraw for medical reasons.

A match with stakes

This match will have direct consequences on the season of both pairs. The winner will pocket 45 points, to which will be added 5 bonus points to have gone through the qualifications, as well as a prize money not negligible.

Thomas Vanbauce (196) / Simon Wagner (364) will face Pablo Pastor (194) / Samuel Rivas (447) in the last rotation (around 18 p.m.)

Gijón P2: French program and golden opportunities

What if the scenario got even crazier?

Si Vanbauce/Wagner et Philemon Raichman/Nolten win, they could face each other… second round of the main draw ! An unexpected poster that would offer one of the duos the possibility of facing A1 Superstars Padel : Tolito Aguirre and Gonzalo Alfonso, the future winners of the tournament except huge surprise ou earthquake.

Now it's time to play!

The incredible scenario of Vanbauce / Wagner in Gijon P2 and the possible second round against... Raichman
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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