Golden at Roland Garros: Tapia & Coello's Four in a Row, and Ustero Makes History
They were 2-5 down in the third set. Galán and Chingotto were one service game from the Paris Major title.
Agustín Tapia and Arturo Coello are the world No. 1s, the defending champions, the pair that has won every Roland Garros they have entered. They were about to lose.
Then they didn't.
Three breaks of serve to claw back to six-all. A tiebreak. Seven points to one.
A fourth straight Roland Garros title, sealed 6-3 4-6 7-6(1). A statement that cuts clean through the Madrid narrative: these two know how to win when it costs most.
The head-to-head stands at 27-13. Philippe-Chatrier is still theirs.
The semi-finals had already set the tone. In the women's draw, Fernández and Calvo knocked out world No. 1s Triay and Brea 6-4 6-2. That was their third straight win over the top seeds.
Sánchez and Ustero came from a set down to beat Ortega and Araújo 5-7 6-4 6-1. No. 2 seeds Bea González and Josemaría went out in the quarters.
In the men's draw, Tapia and Coello beat Lebrón and Augsburger 7-5 6-3. Galán and Chingotto saw off Navarro and Di Nenno 7-5 6-2.
The women's final was a different kind of masterclass. They closed the roof and the rain rolled in.
Ari Sánchez and 19-year-old Andrea Ustero gave Claudia Fernández and Martina Calvo exactly zero chances. The score, 6-2 6-0 in just 71 minutes, barely captures how complete that performance was.
Fernández and Calvo, aged 20 and 18, had stunned the top seeds in the semis and became the youngest pair to reach a Major final. Against Sánchez and Ustero they ran into a completely different level.
Ustero, 19, is now the youngest player to win the Paris Major. For Ari Sánchez, it is her third Roland Garros crown and ninth Major final.
A record 81,000 spectators packed Roland Garros across the week. Padel has never looked bigger.
Sources: Padel Magazine, Men's Final, Padel Magazine, Women's Final, Padel Magazine, Women's Semis, Marca, Men's Semis, Padel Magazine, Attendance Record
Quick Hits
-
Gala & Jensen finally break through in Bucharest. Top seeds David Gala and Enzo Jensen ended their FIP Gold Bucharest runner-up streak, beating Manuel Aragon and Albert Roglan 7-5 7-6 in the final. After two second-place finishes this season, they have their first title together and 150 ranking points going into the season's final sprint. Lucia Martinez and Leti Manquillo won the women's draw. (Padel FIP)
-
Tsonga and Ascione bet big on France. ALL IN GROUP closed a major recapitalization with backing from Albarest Partners, Groupama Rhône-Alpes Auvergne, and the Aulas family. That money builds six new premium padel centers across France. The timing is deliberate: Roland Garros just proved the French appetite for padel is real, and Tsonga and Ascione are moving to capitalise on it. (Padel Magazine)
-
Soul Padel raises £3.6M to triple its UK footprint. Manchester's Soul Padel closed a Series A at a £30M valuation, with backing from three family offices. Six new sites already have permits (Ayr, Washington, Warrington, Preston, Wigan, Rochdale), and the target is 250 courts by 2032. Measured community-model growth, not VC froth. (Soul Padel)
-
Slazenger Padel's 4th UK club: Exeter goes padel. Frasers Group opened a 35,000 sq ft venue at Haven Banks Retail Park in Exeter. It has 9 panoramic courts and 2 pickleball courts, and it is the fourth club in the Slazenger Padel network after Leeds, Swindon, and Blackburn. The retail-to-padel conversion playbook keeps delivering. (SGI Europe)
-
Sanyo and Esbrí confirm the split. Sanyo Gutiérrez and Juanlu Esbrí confirmed the split themselves after their round-of-16 exit at the Paris Major. Sanyo posted on Instagram that Paris was "our last tournament as a pair" and that he is looking for a new partner. A heated exchange on the bench against Leygue/Moya came first, and Esbrí will line up with Íñigo Jofre at the FIP Platinum Lyon. (Padel Magazine)
-
Pol Hernández and Guillermo Collado: it's done. After their Paris Major exit, the childhood friends and long-time partners confirmed their split. It ends one of the circuit's most stable partnerships and reshuffles the middle of the rankings. Both need new pairs for the season run-in. (Padel Magazine)
Weekend Results
Alpine Paris Major: Philippe-Chatrier, Roland Garros 🇫🇷 (Sep 7–13) (Premier Padel)
Men's draw:
- 🥇 Tapia/Coello (1) def. Galán/Chingotto (2) 6-3 4-6 7-6(1), fourth consecutive Roland Garros title
- Semi-finals: Tapia/Coello def. Lebrón/Augsburger 7-5 6-3; Galán/Chingotto def. Navarro/Di Nenno 7-5 6-2
- Galán/Chingotto surged to 5-2 and served for the championship at 5-3 in the decider
- Tiebreak: 7-1 to Coello/Tapia. Head-to-head record now 27-13
Women's draw:
- 🥇 Sánchez/Ustero (3) def. Fernández/Calvo (4) 6-2 6-0, in 71 minutes under the closed roof
- Semi-finals: Fernández/Calvo def. world No. 1s Triay/Brea 6-4 6-2 (a third straight win over the top seeds); Sánchez/Ustero def. Ortega/Araújo 5-7 6-4 6-1
- No. 2 seeds Bea González/Josemaría went out in the quarters to Ortega/Araújo
- Ustero (19): youngest Paris Major champion in history; Sánchez: third Roland Garros crown, ninth Major final
📍 Total attendance: 81,000 spectators, an all-time record (Padel Magazine)
CUPRA FIP Gold Bucharest 🇷🇴 (Sep 13 final): (Padel FIP)
- 🥇 Men: Gala/Jensen (1) def. Aragon/Roglan 7-5 7-6, a maiden title together; Aragon/Roglan had beaten second seeds Lijó/Gil in the quarters
- 🥇 Women: Martinez/Manquillo won the title
Coming Up Next
Rotterdam P2: Sep 28–Oct 4, Rotterdam 🇳🇱 (Premier Padel)
Premier Padel heads to the Netherlands. The headline: Paquito Navarro and Martín Di Nenno debut as the circuit's new No. 4 seeds. After a Paris campaign to forget, Rotterdam is their first real statement.
The Race standings tighten with the season in its final stretch, so every point counts.
Never miss an edition
Weekly Monday issue. 3-minute read. Free. EN + ES.
Did You Know?
Two years ago, a 17-year-old Andrea Ustero walked onto Court Philippe-Chatrier for the Paris Major final alongside Delfi Brea. They lost to Ari Sánchez and Paula Josemaría, but the teenager did not look out of place.
On Sunday she walked back onto the same court, two years older and with Ari Sánchez beside her, and finished what she had started. The youngest Paris Major champion in history had made her case twice, and closed it on the second attempt.
Player Spotlight
Andrea Ustero
Andrea Ustero (Spain, 19)
There is a version of this story where Ustero is still a prospect: a teenager with potential who reached a Major final at 17. In that version, she needs a few more years to close one out. That version doesn't exist anymore.
At 19, Ustero just won the Paris Major. She didn't scrape through it. She demolished the final.
Her partner Ari Sánchez has nine Major finals to her name and three Roland Garros titles.
Even with all that experience at her side, Ustero was no passenger. She played with the control and composure of someone who has spent years on the biggest courts in the game. Because she has.
She reads the net early and cuts off the angle before the opponent can create it.
She doesn't overwhelm with pace. She overwhelms with anticipation. On Sunday, Fernández and Calvo, one of the fastest-rising pairs in women's padel, couldn't find a way past that wall.
She's 19. This is not the ceiling. Watch closely.
Hot Take
Tapia and Coello did not coast to this one.
They were 2-5 down in the third, with Galán and Chingotto serving for the title. That is not a world No. 1 team in control. That is a world No. 1 team in serious trouble, on the biggest court in padel.
And they won anyway.
Madrid knocked them out in the quarter-finals two weeks ago. On Sunday the No. 1s took a Major with everything going against them.
Three breaks under that kind of pressure, then a 7-1 tiebreak. That is not the shape of a team in decline. It is the shape of a team that still delivers when it matters most.
Madrid raised the question. Paris answered it.
Agree? Hit reply.
Number of the Week
81,000
Fans at Roland Garros for the Alpine Paris Major. An all-time attendance record. Paris is padel's grandest stage
Never miss an edition
Weekly Monday issue. 3-minute read. Free. EN + ES.
Related Blog Posts
The Greatest Women's Padel Pairs of All Time, Ranked
From Navarro and Reiter to Ariana Sánchez and Paula Josemaría: the greatest women's pairs in padel history, ranked by titles, ranking dominance, and impact on the game.
Who Is Agustin Tapia? Padel's No. 1 Magician, Explained
Agustín Tapia's story: from Catamarca to world No. 1 — his records, his partnership with Coello, how much he earns, and how he plays.
How to Watch Premier Padel: Streaming Guide 2026
Where to watch every Premier Padel match in 2026: free options, country-by-country broadcasters, and which rounds stream where.