It was a thrilling quarter-final day at the CUPRA Rotterdam Premier Padel P2, with Momo González - Lucas Campagnolo, Franco Stupaczuk - Jon Sanz and Coki Nieto - Mike Yanguas emerging as the standout teams after defeating three of the four top seeds in the men’s draw.

In the women’s draw, the favourites lived up to expectations and the semi-finals will feature a ‘perfect’ line-up, with the four highest-ranked duos all making it through. Gemma Triay - Delfi Brea will face Ari Sánchez - Andrea Ustero, the Paris Major champions, while Perlamita will face Claudia Fernández - Martina Calvo for the third time in recent weeks.

González - Campagnolo Repeat Their Epic Win in Rome

The tournament’s No. 8 seeds continue to impress. Since joining forces at the end of May, they have played nine Premier Padel tournaments and have only failed to reach the quarter-finals on three occasions.

The pair came through an electric clash against Di Nenno - Navarro (#4), whom they had already defeated at the same stage of the Italy Major several months ago. After dropping the opening set 2-6, they levelled the match by winning the second-set tie-break 7-1, before their resilience made the difference when it mattered most. Despite trailing 4-5, they saved two match points and won three consecutive games to seal a 7-5 victory after two hours and 49 minutes.

“Playing alongside ‘Campa’ is so easy… he can even bring a dead man back to life!” González joked after the battle. “I don’t even have the strength to cry… Imagine how tired I feel! We showed our heart on court and played as a team”, said Campagnolo.

With this victory, the duo are guaranteed to earn at least 180 points this week in the FIP Race, a major result that brings them closer to the Tour Finals, the most special tournament of the season, where the 16 best players of this ranking will compete in December.

Stupaczuk - Sanz Shock Chingalán

The second upset of the day came from Stupaczuk - Sanz, the tournament’s No. 5 seeds, who defeated Chingalán in the quickest match of the day, winning 6-4, 6-4 in just one hour and 17 minutes.

It is their first Premier Padel semi-final as a pair since beginning their project together last August, and it comes after they eliminated a pair fighting for the No. 1 spot in the FIP Ranking.

“We lost a final last week that was tough for us at the FIP Platinum Lyon, and we’re really happy with the way we turned things around here against the second-best pair in the world,” Sanz said after the match. The victory also saw him beat Galán for the first time on the Tour.

Escacena Shows Her Fighting Spirit in Rotterdam

Claudia Escacena, who has partnered Claudia Jensen this week due to Tamara Icardo’s injury, leaves the Dutch city with proud. The 19-year-old showed that her Round of 16 performance was no fluke, pushing Martina Calvo - Claudia Fernández, one of the most in-form pairs on the Tour at the moment.

Escacena and Jensen came within touching distance of forcing a deciding set when they led 5-4 with serve in the second, but the No. 4 seeds fought back to close out the match.

Following her adventure alongside Jensen, the Andalusian player will return with her regular partner, Noemí Aguilar, with whom she will enter the qualifying rounds at the upcoming Germany P2 and Milan P1. Jensen, meanwhile, will play alongside Noa Cánovas in Düsseldorf while Icardo continues her recovery.

The other breakout duo in the women’s draw, Virginia Riera - Julieta Bidahorria (#17), also saw their run in the Netherlands come to an end. Sánchez - Ustero (#3) ended their dream run with a solid 6-3, 6-2 victory. Despite the defeat, Riera and Bidahorria leave the tournament having reached the quarter-finals, their best result of the season to date.

Yanguas - Nieto Push For No. 4 Spot

The Madrid P1 runners-up will have another major opportunity to battle for what would be their second Premier Padel final as a team. They closed out the day with a valuable victory over Juan Lebrón - Leo Augsburger (#3), one of the tournament favourites.

Yanguas - Nieto saved two set points in the opening set, which they eventually won in a tie-break without dropping a single point (7-0). They then continued with their positive momentum, securing an early break that ultimately paved the way for a 6-4 victory.

On Saturday, they will face a crucial battle against Stupaczuk - Sanz, with both teams fighting to become the No. 4 seeds on the Tour from the Milan P1 onwards.

Semifinals Order of Play 

12.00 p.m. (Dutch time)

Fernández - Calvo (#4) vs Josemaría - González (#2)

Not before 1.30 p.m.

Tapia - Coello (#1) vs Campagnolo - González (#8)

Not before 6.30 p.m.

Triay - Brea (#1) vs Sánchez - Ustero (#3)

Followed by

Stupaczuk - Sanz (#5) vs Yanguas-Nieto (#6)