Coello & Tapia Reach 25 Consecutive Finals — A Record Padel Has Never Seen
Arturo Coello walked onto the Plaza Mayor court in Valladolid on Sunday as the local kid. He left as a legend with a hat trick.
Coello and Agustín Tapia beat Ale Galán and Fede Chingotto 6-4, 6-3 to win the Valladolid P2 for the third straight year. The headline stat is absurd: this was their 25th consecutive final. Every tournament they enter, they make the final. Not most. All of them. They didn't drop a single service game in the entire tournament — for the second year running.
Galán and Chingotto pushed the first set to 5-4, but Tapia's spectacular smash on set point sealed it. The second set was clinical — Coello/Tapia broke late and closed it out in front of a crowd that came to crown their king. Coello was named men's MVP.
The women's final told a different story. Paula Josemaría and Bea González beat Ari Sánchez and Andrea Ustero 6-4, 6-2, with Josemaría claiming her second Valladolid title and the women's MVP. The margin surprised: Sánchez and Ustero had just beaten world #1s Gemma Triay and Delfi Brea in the semis for the third straight tournament.
That Sánchez/Ustero streak deserves its own paragraph. Three consecutive tournaments beating the top-ranked pair, only to fall short of the title each time. They've become the most dangerous pair in the draw — but dangerous and champion are different things.
Twenty-five consecutive finals. Three Valladolid titles. The question isn't who's the best pair in padel — it's whether anyone can make this season interesting.
Source: ABC, ValladolidDeporte
Quick Hits
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The Observer calls padel an investment 'gold rush' — The UK's national Sunday paper ran a major padel feature this week. Players in Britain rose 125% in 2025 and clubs doubled to nearly 300. Padel racquet brand registrations surged 148% — 270 new padel brands vs just 23 tennis. Andy Murray, brother Jamie, and Annabel Croft invested in Game4Padel (valued at £27m) — the LTA called padel a "gateway drug" into tennis. (The Observer)
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India hits 100,000 padel players — franchise league backed by MS Dhoni — A market report projects India's padel market will grow 10x by 2036. There are 500 courts across the country, with Mumbai holding 75% of bookings. Cricket legend MS Dhoni and JSW's Parth Jindal are backing a franchise league modeled on India's Pro Kabaddi League. (Passionate In Marketing)
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Women's transfer market erupts — Two new partnerships confirmed ahead of Málaga P1. Veteran Alejandra Salazar splits from Ale Alonso to pair with Aranzazu Osoro; Alonso moves to red-hot Marina Guinart (back-to-back FIP Platinum winner). Four top-10 women's pairs reshuffled in a single week. (Padel Magazine)
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Qatar's Capstone Master sets record with 432 teams — The amateur tournament in Doha attracted 432 teams with a 3-year sponsorship deal from Capstone Property. Padel in the Gulf is no longer experimental — it's a commercial fixture. (The Peninsula Qatar)
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Pure Padel opens 5-court club in York — The new venue at Clifton Moor Retail Park launches in July with a full alcohol license. BBC covered the opening, marking padel's second York story in two weeks after a hotel announced plans to replace its tennis courts with padel. (BBC News)
Weekend Results
Oysho Valladolid Premier Padel P2 — Valladolid, Spain
Men's Draw:
- 🥇 Coello / Tapia def. Galán / Chingotto 6-4, 6-3
- SF: Coello / Tapia def. Lebrón / Augsburger 6-4, 6-4
- SF: Galán / Chingotto def. Guerrero / Leal 6-4, 1-6, 6-3
- Surprise: Guerrero / Leal reached the semis for the 2nd straight year
Women's Draw:
- 🥇 Josemaría / González def. Sánchez / Ustero 6-4, 6-2
- SF: Sánchez / Ustero def. Triay / Brea 6-3, 7-6(2)
- SF: Josemaría / González def. Rodríguez / Dal Pozzo 6-0, 4-6, 6-4
MVPs: Arturo Coello (men) | Paula Josemaría (women)
Coming Up Next
Betclic Bordeaux Premier Padel P2 — June 28 – July 5, Patinoire Mériadeck, Bordeaux
Glass courts inside a converted ice rink. France's Premier Padel stop is becoming a permanent fixture on the calendar.
The big question: can anyone stop Coello/Tapia from consecutive final #26? Sánchez/Ustero will chase their first title after three straight near-misses. Several French players are in qualifying, and the Bordeaux crowd always delivers atmosphere.
New this year: Canal+ and Padel Mag TV will broadcast qualifying rounds — a first for Premier Padel P2 events.
After Bordeaux: Málaga P1 (dates TBC) — where Salazar/Osoro and Alonso/Guinart debut as new partnerships.
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Did You Know?
The Plaza Mayor in Valladolid was built in the 16th century and served as a model for Madrid's own famous square. When Premier Padel installs glass courts there, the temporary stadium sits in the same spot where bullfights were held in the 1600s. From toros to Tapia — Valladolid has always known how to put on a show.
Player Spotlight
Fran Guerrero
Fran Guerrero — Spain, Men's ranking: outside top 20
Guerrero might be the most Valladolid-coded player on tour. For two years running, he and Javi Leal have turned the Plaza Mayor into their personal playground, reaching back-to-back semifinals against all odds. AS headlined his week with a single stat: he won more matches in Valladolid than in his entire 2026 season combined.
A fiery competitor who feeds off home crowds, his numbers at Valladolid defy everything else on his CV. File him under 'dangerous on home turf' — Castilla y León clearly unlocks something in him.
Hot Take
Twenty-five consecutive finals is historic. It's also starting to look like a problem for padel's growth.
When the men's #1 pair reaches every final, the outcome feels scripted. Tennis lived this with late-career Djokovic — dominance suppresses casual viewership because the drama dies. Padel is chasing global broadcast deals right now, and broadcasters pay for uncertainty, not coronations.
The women's draw had more drama this week than the men's has had all season. Maybe Premier Padel should start marketing the women's finals as the main event on championship Sunday. At least those keep you guessing.
Agree? Hit reply.
Number of the Week
25
Consecutive finals for Coello & Tapia — padel's all-time dominance record
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