Thursday’s action at the Brussels P2 saw the top four men’s pairs and the leading three women’s pairs advance comfortably to the quarterfinals. But the day wasn’t just about predictable results - especially in the women’s draw, where surprises shook the standings and the number 4 seeds, Marta Ortega and Sofia Araújo, bowed out earlier than expected.
Their early departure came at the hands of the biggest surprise of the day, delivered by Marta Borrero and the remarkably young Martina Calvo. At just 16 years old, Calvo set a new record in Premier Padel history, becoming the youngest player ever to reach a quarterfinal in the elite global circuit. The duo, who came through the qualifying rounds, defeated Ortega-Araújo 2-6, 6-4, 6-1.
Borrero and Calvo weren't the only ones to cause an upset. Raquel Eugenio and Maria Eulalia Rodríguez also broke through to the final eight after eliminating the number 8 seeds, Aranzazu Osoro and Jessica Castelló, in a tight 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 battle. Both surprise pairings will now look to extend their dream runs in Belgium: Borrero-Calvo will face Salazar-Virseda, who won convincingly 6-2, 6-0 against Lobo-Saiz, while Eugenio-Rodríguez will go up against the number 3 seeds, Bea González and Claudia Fernández.
Elsewhere in the women’s draw, Tamara Icardo and Claudia Jensen stood out by knocking out the number 6 seeds (Alonso-Ustero). Meanwhile, the top seeds - Ari Sánchez and Paula Josemaría (#1), and Gemma Triay and Delfi Brea (#2)—both advanced with authority.
In the men’s draw, Arturo Coello and Agustín Tapia (#1) as well as Alejandro Galán and Federico Chingotto (#2) secured their spots in the quarters with dominant performances. The number 3 and 4 seeds, Yanguas-Nieto and Lebrón-Ruiz, earned harder-fought wins, though both still closed their matches in straight sets.
The longest match of the day was the duel between Pablo Cardona and Leandro Augsburger and the ever-tenacious Agustín “El Loco” Torre and Álvaro Cepero. After more than two and a half hours of battle, the young talents came out on top and will now face the world number ones again. Although Tapia and Coello got their revenge at the Qatar Major, fans can’t help but recall their early exit in Santiago de Chile.
Another highlight of the round of 16 was the clash between Paquito Navarro and Lucas Bergamini and the entertaining Tolito Aguirre and Gonza Alfonso. After a comfortable 6-1 first set, the second turned into a crowd-pleasing spectacle, culminating in a thrilling tie-break won by the Spanish-Brazilian duo.
Navarro and Bergamini will now take on a red-hot Yanguas-Nieto pairing in the quarterfinals, which begin at 10:00 a.m. local time on Centre Court, where six matches will be played. The remaining two matches will take place on Lotto Court 2 starting at 3:00 p.m., including one of the day’s standout matchups: Lebrón-Ruiz versus the newly formed duo of Tello-Di Nenno. The other will see Delfi and Gemma (#2) face Sainz-Llaguno (#5).
