Kuwait Major podium (Photo by Premier Padel / Red Bull Content Pool)
Gemma Triay Pons and Delfina Brea Senesi fought back from a set down to win the Premier Padel Kuwait Major and maintain their bid to finish the year as world number ones, while Arturo Coello and Agustín Tapia secured their fourth consecutive season in the men’s top spot.
Triay and Brea were up against it at The Arena Kuwait after losing the first set 6-3 to third seeds Ariana Sánchez Fallada and Andrea Ustero Prieto, however the top seeds regrouped and bounced back superbly to reel off the next two sets 6-1 6-1 in just under two hours.
Triay, 34, who became the most decorated player in women’s padel history with her 59th title, said: “I’m really happy, but what makes me happier is to have won the tournament. They were dominating so, then in the second set, we started to play better with better lobs.”
At the top of the women’s draw, Triay and Brea only dropped two games in two matches to reach the semi-finals while, in the bottom half, Sánchez and Ustero lost the first set 6-3 to sixth seeds Tamara Icardo Alcorisa and Claudia Jensen only to reset and hit back to win out 6-4 7-5 in the last eight.
The semi-finals were two marathon affairs with Sánchez and Ustero losing the first set 6-4 to second seeds Bea González and Paula Josemaría Martín before digging deep to win 7-6 (7-5) 7-6 (7-4) in three hours and 44 minutes of pulsating action that energised the crowd.
Triay and Brea came out later to outlast fourth seeds Claudia Fernández Sánchez and Martina Calvo Santamaria 6-4 2-6 7-6 (7-3) in another epic duel that went three hours and seven minutes.
The final was a chance for Sánchez and Ustero to claim the number two spot in the FIP Rankings, but Triay and Brea were not to be outdone for their seventh title of the 2026 Premier Padel season.
Brea, 26, said: “This is one of the best tournaments of the year. We are playing and giving our all, but there’s so many people behind us that makes us stronger, makes us better.”
The men’s event was a stroll for Coello and Tapia after they eased through to the final without losing a set including a 6-2 6-2 semi-final win over surprise Argentine pair Valentino Gabriel Libaak and Gonzalo Alfonso, ending their fairytale run.
Down the bottom of the draw, Alejandro Galán’s injury and withdrawal alongside Fede Chingotto opened it up for other pairs with ninth seeds Juan Tello and Maximiliano Arce Simo taking advantage thanks to a brilliant run through to Saturday’s final after two tough three-set matches to begin the week.
The final was a chance for Coello and Tapia to wrap up a fourth year as world number ones and they did not hang around with Coello dominating the match at the net to defeat maiden Premier Padel finalists Tello and Arce 6-1 6-1 in just 56 minutes – their 13th title of a banner season.
Ahead of three more opportunities to equal or surpass their record of 14 titles in a year, Tapia, 27, said: “I want to thank Arturo for this year and for all these years. He has taught me how to be a good teammate and how to be a good person both on and off the court. We achieved our main goal this year. It’s a beautiful tournament, an unforgettable tournament.”
Coello, 24, added: “Congrats to Juan and Maxi. They made an incredible performance this week.”
The players now have a week off before the Dubai P1 event from November 8-15.
