What was that? A sensational ending to the Premier Padel tournament in Milan

Throughout the past week, the Premier Padel P1 tournament in Milan had unfolded, let’s say, predictably. The only surprise came in the women’s draw, where the top favorites — Gemma Triay and Delfi Brea — withdrew from the competition.

In the men’s event, everything was going according to plan: the seeded players were winning, and in the final, the two best pairs in the world met, as expected — a showdown already being called the “El Clásico” of padel.

Arturo Coello and Agustín Tapia vs. Federico Chingotto and Alejandro Galán — the fourth consecutive final between them in the past month. Up to that point, the Golden Boys had lost to their rivals only once — in Germany.

The first set followed the usual script: an early break, plenty of errors from nervous opponents, and a routine 6–2 for Coello and Tapia. At that stage, Fede Chingotto’s only highlight was his new racket — a limited edition dedicated to Milan. A beautiful one, by the way. It seemed over — the advantage was obvious.

However, at the start of the second set, Galán and Chingotto broke Coello’s serve. And that seemingly small edge became a massive psychological boost. With each game, Fede and Ale played with more and more confidence, which immediately reduced their unforced errors.

The key moment of the match, in my view, was the game at 2–4 on Galán’s serve. The best pair in the world knows how to raise their level at decisive moments — and this time was no exception. But the challengers held firm and took the second set.

From there, Fede Chingotto became unstoppable. He not only showed phenomenal speed on (and off) the court, but also took the initiative in attack far more often than usual — quite uncharacteristic for his style. That night, he was on fire.

Together with Ale, they found their opponents’ weak point: relentless pressure on Arturo, aggressive volleys at the net, and pinpoint chiquitas to the corners that forced Coello into mistake after mistake. Arturo and Agus never recovered after the momentum shifted in the second set. They fought for every game but couldn’t match their rivals’ energy and inspiration.

The result: a sensation — the best pair in the world lost the third set 0–6. In their entire career together, they had neverbeen beaten by such a score. Never!

It seems Alejandro Galán should start learning Italian — Italy clearly brings him luck. To his triumph in Rome, he now adds victory in Milan.

Special mention should go to their coach, Jorge Martínez, who managed to find the key to the match and completely turn it around, outsmarting his counterpart Gustavo Pratto. A curious fact: all three of the Golden Boys’ final defeats this season happened when Pratto was on the bench — not Martín Canali (the pair have two alternating coaches).

Coello and Tapia have decided to take a break — they will skip the tournaments in Egypt and the FIP Platinum in Lyon. Meanwhile, Galán and Chingotto are on a roll and will appear at those tournaments as favorites.

Thus, as the season draws to a close, an unexpected twist has appeared in the race for the top ranking. What seemed impossible just a month ago now looks quite real: Ale Galán and Fede Chingotto could fight for the world number one spot.

The outcome of the final ranking will be decided in the four remaining tournaments of the year: the P1 in Dubai, the Major in Mexico, the World Championship in Kuwait, and the Master Final in Barcelona.

And there’s no doubt that we can expect a first-class spectacle and unpredictable outcomes — just like that crazy night in Milan.