Coello-Tapia Face Chingalán Again as Gijón P2 Delivers Dramatic Semifinal Rallies

The Premier Padel calendar has a new routine: wherever Arturo Coello and Agustín Tapia finish a tournament, Federico Chingotto and Alejandro Galán are waiting on the other side of the net. Sunday’s P2 final in Gijón marks the 31st meeting between these pairs—the sport’s only true rivalry that moves the needle—but what happened in Saturday’s semifinals suggests fatigue may finally be creeping into the equation.

Coello-Tapia, the world number ones, needed a first-set tiebreak (7-5) to outlast Franco Stupaczuk and Mike Yanguas 7-6, 6-4. The match lasted one hour and 38 minutes, but the opening frame alone demanded elite-level execution from start to finish. Neither pair managed a service break—a testament to Yanguas’ improved consistency under pressure—before the world’s best prevailed in the decider.

Chingotto-Galán’s path proved even more treacherous. Jon Sanz and Coki Nieto, playing their first tournament together since Nieto returned from injury, won the opening set 6-4 and broke serve early in the second to take a 2-0 lead. Mundo Deportivo reports that coach Jorge Martínez intervened during the third-game changeover with tactical adjustments—specifically instructing Chingotto to target Sanz’s backhand wall with vibora shots to neutralize his blocking game. The number twos responded with a double break to flip the second set 6-3, then closed out the decider 6-4 after one hour and 54 minutes.

“The plan worked perfectly,” the outlet noted, as Chingotto-Galán avoided what would have been one of the season’s most significant upsets. But the narrow escape cost them—physically and mentally—heading into a final where Coello-Tapia currently lead the head-to-head 21-9 and have won four straight matches dating back to late 2025.

The women’s final offers a cleaner narrative but higher stakes. Ari Sánchez and Andrea Ustero defeated Bea González and Paula Josemaría 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 in a two-hour, 36-minute semifinal that Padel FIP describes as “hard-fought” after the number threes surrendered five consecutive games in the second set before regaining control. The match marked the first on-court meeting between Sánchez and Josemaría since their partnership—the most decorated in women’s padel history—ended after five years together.

Mundo Deportivo observed that tension filled the Palacio de Deportes de La Guía as fans watched the former partners on opposite sides of the court. Sánchez-Ustero, still undefeated through their first two tournaments together, will face Gemma Triay and Delfi Brea—a rematch of the Riyadh P1 final that the Catalans won. Triay-Brea haven’t lifted a trophy since Rotterdam in October, meaning Sunday’s final carries championship-drought pressure for the world number ones.

Both finals air live starting at 3:00 PM CET (9:00 AM ET), with the men following approximately two hours later. AnalistasPadel reports that Spanish viewers can watch on Movistar Deportes and Red Bull TV, while Disney+ covers South and Central America.

The takeaway for serious fans: Coello-Tapia remain the sport’s best pair, but Saturday’s tiebreak against Yanguas-Stupaczuk and Chingalán’s near-upset by Sanz-Nieto reveal something important—the gap between the top four and the chasing pack has narrowed enough that a single tactical adjustment or momentum swing now determines outcomes. Whether that translates into more competitive finals or simply makes semifinal Saturdays more watchable remains the season’s open question.

Sources

Horario, dónde ver y apostar en las finales del Premier Pádel Gijón P2 — AnalistasPadel
Day5. Ari defeats Paula; Coello-Tapia vs Chingalan, the saga continues — Padel FIP
Remontada épica de Galán-Chingotto, que sufren para citarse con Tapia-Coello en la final del P2 de Gijón — Mundo Deportivo
Ari Sánchez se impone a Paula Josemaría en el primer duelo tras su ruptura: golpe sobre la mesa en Gijón — Mundo Deportivo

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