The surprises continued at the Kuwait Premier Padel Major Powered by BNK on Thursday’s quarter-final day.

Following the shock elimination of Juan Lebrón-Leo Augsburger (#3) in the Round of 16 at the hands of Tino Libaak-Gonza Alfonso (#12), the Argentine team once again showcased their excellent form to knock out Paquito Navarro-Martín Di Nenno (#5).

They have now reached their first Major semi-final, as have Edu Alonso-Aimar Goñi (#11), who finished Franco Stupaczuk-Jon Sanz’s (#4) impressive run, and Juan Tello-Maxi Arce (#9), who brought the dream run of the promising Coquito Zamora-Marc Sintes (#30) to an end.

In the women’s draw, Ari Sánchez-Andrea Ustero narrowly avoided elimination against Bordeaux P2 champions Tamara Icardo-Claudia Jensen (#6) in a tight three-set battle, while Gemma Triay-Delfi Brea (#1), Paula Josemaría-Bea González (#2) and Martina Calvo-Claudia Fernández (#4) all secured straightforward victories. As a result, the semi-finals will feature the top four teams on the Qatar Airways Premier Padel Tour for the fourth consecutive tournament.

A HUGE Step Towards the Finals

As many as three men’s teams will experience the thrill of competing in a Major semi-final for the first time on Friday: Alfonso-Libaak, Goñi-Alonso and Tello-Arce. For all of them except Tello, it will be their first appearance in this round of a Major.

Libaak-Alfonso, who will represent Argentina at next week’s FIP World Cup alongside Arce, pulled off another major upset to bring Navarro-Di Nenno’s run in Kuwait to an end. The Argentine team came back from 2-5 down in the first-set tie-break, using that comeback as a springboard before closing out the match with a commanding 6-1 final set. The result guarantees them at least 780 FIP Race points, moving them closer to the positions that qualify for the Finals. On Friday, they will play their second semi-final together after reaching the last four at the Madrid P1. The victory also means Alfonso can now say he has defeated a legend such as Navarro, who had beaten him in their only three previous meetings.

Goñi-Alonso found themselves in a similar situation, producing a huge performance to defeat Stupaczuk-Sanz 6-1, 6-2 in 54 minutes, the shortest match of the day. The Spanish team produced one of their best performances since joining forces in March. They had not reached this stage on Tour since May, when they did so for the first time at the Asunción P2. As with Libaak-Alfonso, this result will see them make a significant climb in the FIP Race, particularly Alonso, who has his sights set on one of the final qualifying spots for the Finals, where only the top 16 players in this ranking will compete.

Tello-Arce, meanwhile, did likewise in a crucial match for their hopes of competing at the Palau Sant Jordi in mid-December. The Argentine team ended the dream run of the hugely promising Marc Sintes-Coquito Zamora (#30), the lowest-ranked team ever to reach this stage at a Major.

Their 6-4, 6-2 victory in one hour and seven minutes sets up a meeting with Goñi-Alonso, meaning there will be a first-time final pairing on Tour. Tello, meanwhile, will return to a Major semi-final more than four years after reaching this stage alongside Fede Chingotto at the 2022 Paris Major, where they lost the final to Juan Lebrón-Ale Galán (3-6, 6-4, 4-6).

The men’s action was rounded off by the clash between Agustín Tapia-Arturo Coello (#1) and Jairo Bautista-Lucas Bergamini (#11), with the Golden Boys claiming a commanding 6-1, 6-4 victory. They will now face Libaak-Alfonso for the fifth time, knowing that reaching the final would all but secure their status as world No. 1s for a fourth consecutive year.

Sánchez - Ustero Keep Their No.1 Hopes Alive

The Spanish team, who climbed to No. 2 in the FIP Race after winning the Milano P1, had to dig deep to keep their hopes of reaching the top of the world rankings alive during this final stretch of the season.

Their quarter-final opponents, Icardo-Jensen, came close to pulling off the upset at The Arena Kuwait. Sánchez-Ustero were trailing 1-3 in the deciding set and had to save as many as four break points to avoid going 1-4 down, which could have proved decisive. However, they raised their level at the crucial moments to turn the match around and claim a hugely valuable victory in a battle that lasted almost three hours (3-6, 6-4, 7-5).

They will face Perlamita in the semi-finals after Josemaría-González comfortably defeated Victoria Iglesias-Lorena Rufo (#13) 6-2, 6-4. It will therefore be a repeat of the Milano P1 final, where Sánchez-Ustero lifted the title.

Calvo-Fernández, meanwhile, once again comfortably defeated their respective former partners, Martita Ortega-Sofía Araújo (#5), winning 6-1, 6-0 to meet their expectations: they have now reached the semi-finals at all eight tournaments they have played together.

On Friday, they will face the world No. 1s once again, with Gemma Triay-Delfi Brea having won four of the six Majors they have contested since joining forces. The team coached by Seba Nerone defeated Giulia Dal Pozzo-Nuria Rodríguez (#12) 6-1, 6-0, leaving the Italian team just short of the positions that qualify for the Finals after reaching the quarter-finals.

Here is the order of play for Friday, when the Kuwait Major semi-finals will take place:

Start at 2.00 p.m. (GMT+3)

Sánchez-Ustero (#3) vs Josemaría-González (#2)

Not before 4.00 p.m. (GMT+3)

Alonso-Goñi (#11) vs Tello-Arce (#9)

Not before 6.00 p.m. (GMT+3)

Triay-Brea (#1) vs Calvo-Fernández (#4)

Not before 8.00 p.m. (GMT+3)

Coello-Tapia (#1) vs Libaak-Alfonso (#12)