History in Taranto: Spain Sweeps the First Padel Golds
The first multi-sport padel medals in history now have owners. Spain took the biggest share.
José Antonio Diestro and David Gala beat Italy's Flavio Abbate and Álvaro Montiel 7-6 6-4 on a sold-out Central Court. They're the first men's champions in Mediterranean Games history. The pair had already edged Portugal's Deus brothers 7-5 7-5 in the semis — they earned it.
The women's final was all-Spanish. Lucía Sainz and Patty Llaguno, both former world No. 1s, beat Jimena Velasco and Nuria Rodríguez 6-3 6-4 for gold. Two Spanish pairs, two medals, one country on top.
The mixed event produced the story of the week. Portugal's Pedro and Sofía Araújo — brother and sister — beat Marco Cassetta and Giulia Dal Pozzo 6-2 3-6 6-3 for the first mixed title. "Gold runs in the family," as FIP put it.
Italy left with the most podiums of any nation — four — without a single title. Silver for Abbate/Montiel and Cassetta/Dal Pozzo; bronze for Cassetta/Iacovino and Orsi/Marchetti. The gap to Spain is closing, and the crowd in Taranto felt it.
Now the big picture. There is no better argument for Brisbane 2032 than what happened in Taranto: 18 nations entered, 244 countries could watch, and Tunisia won its first-ever international match. "We hope the Mediterranean Games have been another decisive step towards the biggest dream: the Olympic Games," said Sainz.
This was stop one of five multi-sport appearances in 2026–27. The South American Games come next in September. Padel's medal era has begun — and Spain wrote the first chapter.
Source: Padel FIP — Diestro and Gala win gold, Padel FIP — Sainz and Llaguno claim gold, Padel FIP — Araujo siblings win Mixed
Quick Hits
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Madrid P1's draw is a reset button. Nearly 30 new pairings debut at the Movistar Arena this week, and Alejandra Salazar plays the final tournament of her career in her home city. Claudia Fernández chases a third straight Madrid title — with a third different partner. (Padel FIP)
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Coello and Tapia headline India's first padel night. Padel All Stars brought the world No. 1s to Mumbai's Dome SVP Stadium on Saturday for a one-night exhibition expected to draw 4,000+ spectators. India now counts 100k+ active players, and padel is an Asian Games medal sport. (Times of India)
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Texas resorts are going all-in on padel. Horseshoe Bay Resort, 45 minutes from Austin, broke ground on a $10M racquet expansion led by four dedicated padel courts and a new clubhouse, opening summer 2027. Dedicated padel investment, not shared courts. (PRNewswire)
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The PPL's NY Atlantics found a home in Brooklyn. The Pro Padel League team signed with Padel Haus: the Greenpoint club becomes training center and fan base, with merch and a logo on practice jerseys. Revenue is shared. (Sports Business Journal)
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The UK just crossed one million players. LTA figures show growth from 15,000 in 2019 to 1M+ in 2026, with 1,825 courts across 551 venues. A Swindon food warehouse just became Padel Nova, a three-court hub with a bar, café and co-working space. (Swindon24)
Weekend Results
Mediterranean Games — Taranto (finals, Aug 28) (Full results — Padel FIP, Padel Magazine wrap):
- 🥇 Men's gold: Diestro/Gala (ESP) def. Abbate/Montiel (ITA) 7-6 6-4
- 🥇 Women's gold: Sainz/Llaguno (ESP) def. Velasco/Rodríguez (ESP) 6-3 6-4
- 🥇 Mixed gold: P. Araújo/S. Araújo (POR) def. Cassetta/Dal Pozzo (ITA) 6-2 3-6 6-3
- 🥉 Bronzes: Cassetta/Iacovino (ITA, men's); Orsi/Marchetti (ITA, women's); Bahurel/Guichard (FRA, mixed)
- Medal table: Spain 3 (2 gold, 1 silver) · Italy 4 (2 silver, 2 bronze) · Portugal 1 gold · France 1 bronze
FIP Gold Belgrade (finals, Aug 30):
- 🥇 Men's: Stupaczuk/Sanz def. Nieto/Yanguas 6-3 7-5 — the win also locks them in as pair No. 4 seed at the Paris Major
- 🥇 Women's: Iglesias/Rufo def. Salazar/Osoro 4-6 6-1 6-3 — a comeback after dropping the opener
FIP Silver McAllen (Texas): International padel landed in the Rio Grande Valley — 32-pair draws, US players chasing FIP ranking points.
No WPT or A1 Padel events this week.
Coming Up Next
Madrid Premier Padel P1 — main draw Sep 1–6, Movistar Arena 🇪🇸 The season's second half starts tomorrow. Coello/Tapia (1) and Galán/Chingotto (2) sit in opposite halves; Stupaczuk/Sanz (4) and Nieto/Yanguas (5) make Premier Padel debuts as new pairs. Lebrón/Augsburger (3) and Di Nenno/Navarro (6) are both back — Augsburger and Di Nenno won this title together last year, and now return as rivals with new partners. On the women's side, Triay/Brea (1) can only meet Fernández/Calvo (4) in the final. And everyone in Madrid will stop for Salazar's farewell. Watch: Canal+ (Spain), YouTube, Red Bull TV, ESPN+.
Paris Major — Sep 7–13, Roland Garros 🇫🇷 The first Major of the second half. The draw seeds before the next ranking update — Belgrade settled it: Stupaczuk/Sanz's Gold win locks them in at No. 4.
Club Med Padel Cup — Asia-Pacific, legs through November Tokyo (Sep 6), Kuala Lumpur (Sep 11–13), Singapore (Oct 1–4), Taiwan (Oct 9), then the Phuket Finale Nov 30–Dec 3.
Bupa Padel 2026 — Saudi Arabia Corporate circuit continues: Al Khobar Sep 10–12, Riyadh Oct 1–3, then the Super Cup.
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Did You Know?
Portugal's Sofía and Pedro Araújo won the first mixed doubles title in Mediterranean Games history — and they're siblings. "Gold runs in the family," FIP wrote, and it was literal. Sofía barely had time to rest — Madrid P1 opens this week and she's seeded pair No. 5 with Marta Ortega. A brother-sister gold in a sport built on fixed duos doesn't happen twice.
Player Spotlight
David Gala
David Gala (Spain)
Two weeks ago, David Gala was a name in the draw. Today he's a champion of history: with José Antonio Diestro, he won the first men's padel gold at a multi-sport Games.
Gala was the steady hand Spain needed. In the semi-finals he and Diestro broke the Deus brothers at 5-5 in both sets — cold, decisive tennis. In the final, against a roaring Italian crowd, they held firm through two tiebreak-level sets.
He already knew how to win in Spain's colours. With Diestro, he took the FIP Euro Padel Cup 2025 last October.
The pair heads home with gold and a new label: first-time champions. For Gala, the biggest stages of the season — Madrid, Paris, the Finals — are still ahead.
Hot Take
Padel's "getting back with your ex" era is a sign the transfer market has run out of ideas.
Three of the summer's flagship pairings are reunions: Paquito/Di Nenno, Leal/Guerrero, and now Yanguas/Nieto, who fell to Stupaczuk/Sanz — the pair they broke up to form — in Belgrade's final. Reunions are safe ranking bets. They're also an admission that the market can't mint new rivalries faster than it breaks old ones.
The summer window reshuffled nearly 30 pairs, and the biggest headlines are still reruns. Padel's next era needs fresh partnerships at the top, not nostalgia tours. Agree? Hit reply.
Number of the Week
1M+
Padel players in the UK in 2026, up from 15,000 in 2019 — a 66x jump in seven years (LTA figures)
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