Argentina men retain title, sixth women’s title in a row for Spain

Argentina claimed the men’s title while Spain secured the women’s title at the FIP World Padel Championships in Doha yesterday.At a packed Khalifa Tennis & Squash Complex, the Argentine men successfully defended their title, coming back from a match down to defeat Spain 2-1 in a thrilling final, avenging the earlier loss of their female counterparts.In the decisive match, Leandro Augsburger and Valentín Gomez Libaak triumphed over Miguel Yanguas and Francisco Navarro in a gripping three-set battle, finishing 3-6, 7-5, 7-6, igniting celebrations in the Argentine camp.Spain initially took the lead when Arturo Coello and Javier Nieto delivered a convincing 6-1, 6-2 win against Franco Stupaczuk and Martín Di Nenno.However, Argentina quickly levelled the score in the second match, with Agustín Tapia and Federico Chingotto — ranked second and fourth in the world — defeating Juan Lebron and Alejandro Galan 7-6, 3-6, 6-2. Augsburger and Libaak then held their nerve to secure a memorable victory for Argentina.Earlier, Spain’s women’s team claimed their sixth consecutive title and ninth overall with a 2-0 victory over Argentina in an emotional final. Players wore black ribbons to honour the victims of the Valencia floods, adding a sombre note to the celebration.Spain took the lead after Gemma Triay and Claudia Fernández defeated Virginia Riera and Julieta Bidahorria 6-3, 6-2. Argentina fought back in the second match, with Delfi Brea and Claudia Jensen winning the first set against Paula Josemaria and Ari Sanchez and leading 5-4 in the second set.However, Josemaria and Sanchez rallied to win, sealing Spain’s victory with three consecutive games."It was a very tough match, but we are an incredible team and we showed that throughout the week,” said Sánchez. "At the most important moment, we brought out all our qualities.”"Especially in the first set, the match was really tough,” added Josemaria."We suffered, but we focused on putting as many balls in play as possible. Congratulations to Argentina for pushing us to our limits; we want to dedicate this win to the victims of the flood in Valencia.”