Time for the second semi-final of the day, opposing Ariana Sanchez and Paula Josemaria to Alejandra Salazar and Sofia Araujo. The number 1s, who have dominated a large part of the season on the world circuit, seemed to have some difficulty this Saturday in maintaining their usual pace. Indeed, the two Spaniards were caught off guard by an Alejandra Salazar in great form and a relentless Sofia Araujo.

Difficulty Number 1s

From the start of the match, the Spaniards failed to find their rhythm. Lacking inspiration and full of doubt, Ariana and Paula allowed themselves to be overwhelmed by their opponents of the day. They made several unforced errors. On the other side of the net, the Spanish-Portuguese pair delivered a remarkable performance. Sofia and Alejandra quickly seized their chance and took the advantage during this first round. Alejandra brilliantly controlled Paula in their diagonal duel, while her teammate held firm at the net. In just 40 minutes, they won 6/2 in the first set.

Sofia-Araujo-and-Alejandra-Salzar-clap-hands

Salazar and Araujo reverse the queens

Full of confidence, the Madrilenian and her Portuguese partner continued their momentum from the start of the second round. They quickly awarded themselves a comfortable 2/0. Despite a timid reaction from the number 1s, Sofia and Alejandra maintain their brisk pace. The Portuguese player, solid in attack, managed to hold her diagonal against the Catalan and to unsettle her opponents a little more (3/1). Game after game, the match becomes a real challenge for the two Spaniards, who find themselves trailing 4/1 without finding a solution to reverse the situation.

This Saturday, the Spanish-Portuguese pair clearly demonstrated all their talent, showing patience and exploiting the weaknesses of their rivals. Clearly superior, they delivered an almost perfect performance and qualified for a new final after 1h20 of play. They will therefore find Bea Gonzalez and Delfina Brea for the final clash of this WPT Malmö Open.

Final score: 6/2 - 6/2

Now it's the men's turn to take the stage for the last meeting of the day. Alejandro Galan and Juan Lebron will face the formidable Arturo Coello and Agustin Tapia.

Who, among these two pairs, will emerge victorious from this duel and win their ticket to the final against Martin Di Nenno and Franco Stupaczuk ? The answer will be known very soon.

Sebastien Carrasco

Future naturopath and padel enthusiast, Seb is the health/food man of Padel Magazine. He juggles between pala, quinoa and essential oils. For almost two years now he has been dealing with the news of the little yellow ball with the same passion.