The Round of 32 at the Oysho Milano Premier Padel P1 has come to an end in both the men’s and women’s draws, with Xisco Gil - Rama Valenzuela (#35) emerging as the standout performers after defeating No. 9 seeds Maxi Arce - Juan Tello.
The day also marked Tamara Icardo’s return to the court after missing the last three tournaments through injury, while Marta Borrero - Teresa Navarro experienced a bittersweet story, reaching the Round of 16 after starting the tournament in qualifying but being forced to withdraw due to an injury to Navarro. Meanwhile, the top four men’s teams all made their debuts, securing convincing straight-set victories.
Gil - Valenzuela Pull Off the Upset at the Allianz Cloud
The No. 35 seeds came from behind on centre court at the Allianz Cloud to defeat Tello - Arce, two top players who have reached the quarter-finals five times on Tour this season and still have a chance of qualifying for the Finals.
Gil - Valenzuela are making their debut as a team in Milan after finishing runners-up at FIP Silver Poreč. They had to recover from an early 2-6 setback as their opponents raced ahead, before winning one of the day’s most thrilling battles in two hours and 18 minutes. After dropping the opening set, they levelled the match with a 6-3 before edging an exciting deciding-set tie-break to complete the comeback.
Gil will play in his third Round of 16 on Tour this season, while Valenzuela will also be appearing at this stage for the third time. The latter even reached the quarter-finals of the Riyadh P1 alongside Javier Martínez. Their next obstacle will be Chingalán, who comfortably defeated Portuguese brothers Miguel Deus and Nuno Deus 6-1, 6-2.
Icardo Returns with a Win After Missing Three Tournaments
Claudia Jensen’s regular partner returned to action after recovering from an injury that kept her out of the Paris Major, Rotterdam P2 and Germany P2. At the previous two tournaments, Jensen teamed up with Claudia Escacena and Noa Cánovas respectively in a bid to collect as many ranking points as possible, reaching the quarter-finals on both occasions.
The tournament’s No. 8 seeds, who already know what it takes to win a title this season after lifting the Bordeaux P2 in July, quickly found their rhythm on the court to defeat qualifiers Camila Fassio and Amanda López. A 6-4, 6-1 victory in one hour and six minutes booked their place in the next round, where they will face No. 9 seeds Verónica Virseda - Martina Fassio.
An Injury Ends Borrero - Navarro’s Dream Run
The Spanish team opened the day’s action with a victory over Marina Lobo - Marta Arellano, another team that began their campaign in qualifying at the Allianz Cloud.
They secured a 6-4, 6-2 win in one hour and 42 minutes to book their place in the Round of 16. However, the physical effort required to get over the line took its toll on Navarro, who suffered an injury that will prevent the team from competing in the next round. As a result, their scheduled opponents, No. 5 seeds Martita Ortega - Sofia Araújo, advance directly to the quarter-finals.
The Top Four Deliver
Wednesday also saw the debuts of Agustín Tapia - Arturo Coello, Ale Galán - Fede Chingotto, Juan Lebrón - Leo Augsburger and Franco Stupaczuk - Jon Sanz, the four leading teams in contention for the Milano P1 title.
All four secured convincing straight-set victories. The Golden Boys comfortably defeated Arnau Ayats - Emilio Chamero 6-3, 6-3, Chingalán did the same against the Deus brothers 6-1, 6-2, while Leburger had to work harder against a battling Fede Mouriño - Marc Quílez before winning 7-6, 6-1. Sanz - Stupa continued their excellent run of form with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over José Solano - Ramiro Pereyra.
They will look to keep progressing through the tournament on Thursday, when the four top women’s teams will also begin their campaigns: Gemma Triay - Delfi Brea, Paula Josemaría - Bea González, Ari Sánchez - Andrea Ustero and Martina Calvo - Claudia Fernández.
The day will get underway at 9:30 a.m. CEST and will feature up to 15 matches, all from the Round of 16.
