The Padel Brief
From Edition #20 — September 7, 2026

Chingalan Reign in Madrid — and the City Says Goodbye to Its Queen

Galán and Chingotto beat Nieto/Yanguas 6-4 5-7 6-4 for the Madrid P1 title — their seventh of the season — while Triay/Brea came from a set down to win the women's event and Madrid gave Alejandra Salazar a legendary farewell. Paris Major starts today.

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Madrid said goodbye to its queen — and crowned two new champions. Alejandra Salazar, the most decorated player in padel history, played her last match in her home city on Friday and returned Sunday to 15,000 fans raising phone lights. "I've enjoyed this path like a little girl. Thank you, padel, for everything." Then it was Galán and Chingotto's turn: two hours and 43 minutes to win the Comunidad de Madrid P1 — and to make the No. 1 race interesting again.

Chingotto and Galán beat Coki Nieto and Mike Yanguas 6-4 5-7 6-4 in a final that swung on a single break in the ninth game of the decider. It's their seventh title of the season, one behind Coello/Tapia, and Galán's first Madrid crown since 2022. Chingotto dedicated it to his future son.

The win lands harder because of what came before it. World No. 1s Arturo Coello and Agustín Tapia fell to the very pair that reached the final — Nieto/Yanguas beat them 7-5 7-6 in the quarter-finals. The cushion at the top of the rankings just shrank by nearly a third — and the Paris Major, the season's second-biggest prize, starts today.

The women's final was the No. 1s' own statement. Delfi Brea and Gemma Triay came from a set down to beat Paula Josemaría and Bea González 6-7 6-3 6-3, a sixth title of the season. Triay now sits level with Salazar on 58 career titles.

The second half of the season could not have asked for a better opening: the No. 1 race is alive, the farewell tour continues — and the Paris Major starts today.

Source: Padel FIP — Madrid bids farewell to Ale Salazar as Brea-Triay and the 'Chingalan' triumph, Sport — Chingotto y Galán se coronan en Madrid, Marca — El emotivo homenaje a Ale Salazar

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