Premier Padel Finals in Argentina

The Mar del Plata finals happened in Argentina last week. 8 teams of men and 8 teams of women competed in best-of-3, single-elimination matches. 9,000 spectators filled the arena to watch the men’s final. Federico Chingotto and Ale Galán bested Arturo Coello and Agustin Tapia to take the top spot (6-2, 2-6, 2-6).

Ari Sánchez and Paula Josemaría bested Delfi Brea and Bea Fernández 6-1, 5-7, 6-4 to win their first tournament since the Qatar Major in March. All players in the men’s and women’s finals were either Argentinian or Spanish.

Next, the tournaments heads to Santiago Chile from May 27 - June 2 for the last of a 3-event series in Latin America (Paraguay-Argentina-Chile). The players get a week off before the French tournament in Bordeaux starts June 11.

Bela says goodbye

Fernando Belasteguín played his final match at the age of 45. Known as the greatest player in the sport's history, he has won over 200 titles and held the world number-one ranking for 16 consecutive years (2002-2017). In his last tournament in Argentina, his birthplace, Belasteguín and his partner Juan Tello were defeated by top-seeded Arturo Coello and Agustín Tapia in the quarter-finals. Despite the loss, the stadium honored him with a rousing ovation. After the women's final, Belasteguín addressed the crowd, expressing gratitude for their support and emphasizing the value of hard work, all while breaking down in tears and receiving another heartfelt ovation.

Rankings Changes

After the Mar del Plata finals, Galán was able to snatch the number 2 spot from Tapia.

There were no changes in the women’s rankings.

The points system was devised by the FIP (International Padel Federation) and is as follows for Premier Padel:

Major
2000 points for winners; 1200 points for finalists; 750 for semi-finalists.

Final Master
1500 unique points will be awarded to winners

P1
1000 points to the winners of the tournament; 600 points to finalists; 300 points to semi-finalists.

P2
500 points for tournament winners; 300 points for finalists; 150 points for semi-finalists

Coming up next…

Next week we’ll give you a full rundown of the Santiago Premier Padel Tournament. You can watch the Quarter Finals, Semi-finals and Finals live on RedBullTV and any previous matches live on the Premier Padel YouTube Channel.

We’ll also have a roundup of some great padel YouTube channels and Instagram pages you should be following.

See you next week!