Spain beat Argentina in both World Cup finals in Doha on Saturday. The men won 2-1, the women 2-0.
The men's final was shaped before a ball was hit. Spain coach Juanjo Gutiérrez sent Juan Lebrón and Aimar Goñi, born in 2005, out first, against Martín Di Nenno and Leo Augsburger, and kept Arturo Coello for the last match.
It nearly went wrong. Argentina took the first set 7-5 and led 4-2 in the second. Lebrón and Goñi won it 7-5, then ran away with the third, 6-2. Lebrón wept afterwards.
Argentina's best pair answered. Agustín Tapia and Fede Chingotto beat Paquito Navarro and Jon Sanz 6-1 6-2 in 55 minutes, which made it 1-1. Then Coello and Coki Nieto closed it, 6-3 6-2 over Tino Libaak and Gonza Alfonso.
It's Spain's fifth men's title and the first since 2021. Argentina had won the last two, in Dubai and in Doha, and have 12 in all.
Our read: Tapia and Chingotto were the best pair in Doha. Spain still won, because Gutiérrez put Coello where Argentina couldn't reach him.
The women's final was closer than 2-0. Ari Sánchez and Andrea Ustero beat Martina Fassio and Aranzazu Osoro 6-3 6-3. In the last game they were 0-40 down, won four points in a row and eventually closed it on the Star Point. Ustero, playing her first World Cup, cried too.
Then Gemma Triay and Paula Josemaría beat Delfi Brea and Claudia Jensen 6-2 6-7 6-3 in 2 h 38. Triay was playing against her own Premier Padel partner.
That's seven women's titles in a row for Spain, every edition since 2014. Carolina Navarro's team lost one set all week, and it was that one.
Source: Padel FIP, Padel FIP, Padel Addict