There was no suspense in this second women's semi-final of the  Valencia Premier Padel P1 .  Sofia Araújo and Claudia Fernández The fourth seeds in the tournament delivered a very solid performance to dominate  Marta Ortega and Martina Calvo  on the score of  6 / 3 6 / 2  in 1h42 of play.

Thanks to this success, the Spanish-Portuguese pair reached its  first final together  on the circuit Premier Padel, a logical reward for a team that regularly reached the final four without managing until now to break through that famous glass ceiling.

 Fernández makes the difference right from the start 

From the very first exchanges, the momentum was clearly on the side of Araújo and Fernández.

Very aggressive on the right diagonal,  Claudia Fernández  causes enormous damage against  Marta Ortega The young Spaniard sets the pace and regularly gains the upper hand in the exchanges.

On the other side, Ortega seems to be struggling to get into the game. Less physically intense than usual, and also more imprecise, she is making numerous unforced errors and is struggling to cope with the opposing team's attacks.

It must be said that the day before, Ortega and Calvo had expended a lot of energy to achieve the tournament's feat by eliminating  Paula Josemaria and Bea Gonzalez  in two sets (7/5 7/6).

This start to the semi-final almost gives the impression that the two Spanish women have not completely come down from their achievement.

 Martina Calvo clings on 

Despite his partner's difficulties,  Martina Calvo  refuses to let go.

The young player continues to encourage Ortega and tries to keep her team in the game. The two Spaniards even manage to recover from a break down.

But the effort is enormous and Araújo-Fernández respond immediately by regaining the opponent's serve.

Stronger on the important points, they logically concluded the first set  6/3 .

 A second one-sided set 

The scenario remains the same upon returning to the track.

Araújo and Fernández quickly took control and never let their opponents hope for a comeback.

Very aggressive at the net and particularly effective on her parallel smash,  Sofia Araújo  adds a great deal of weight to the discussions.

Alongside him, Claudia Fernández continues to deliver a very complete performance, solid in all aspects of the game.

On the other side, Ortega and Calvo seem to lack the energy to get the match going again. Unforced errors are piling up, and the momentum remains entirely with the fourth-seeded team.

A second break definitively sealed the match, leading to a clear victory.  6/2  in the second round.

 The glass ceiling has finally been shattered. 

This qualification has a special flavor for Araújo and Fernández.

Before this semi-final, Ortega and Calvo were nevertheless in the lead.  2 wins to 1  in direct confrontations.

But this time, the Spanish-Portuguese pair left no room for doubt.

Having been regulars in the semi-finals since the beginning of their partnership, they have finally taken a major step forward by reaching their first final together on the circuit. Premier Padel.

 A dream final against Sánchez and Ustero 

To clinch the title, Sofía Araújo and Claudia Fernández will now have to defeat the in-form pair of the moment:  Ari Sánchez and Andrea Ustero .

A few hours earlier, the world's number 3 players had achieved a remarkable feat by eliminating  Gemma Triay and Delfi Brea ending a run of 13 consecutive finals for the world number 1s.

The Valencia P1 final will therefore pit two teams full of confidence against each other, with Sánchez / Ustero on one side and Araújo / Fernández on the other, who will try to win their first title together.

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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