The Hamdan Sports Complex witnessed a thrilling semi-finals day, with spectators, including Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, enjoying some of the best padel in the world. Bea González-Paula Josemaría (#2) secured their position as the world No. 2 team and will face Martina Calvo-Claudia Fernández in the final, while Juan Lebrón-Leo Augsburger (#3) will be looking to defeat Tino Libaak-Gonza Alfonso (#10) for the first time.

Perlamita Hold on the No. 2 Spot

The Spanish team got their revenge for their defeat at the Kuwait Major semi-finals against Sánchez-Ustero. The two teams have become used to producing memorable battles, including their Italy Major semi-finals, which went down as the longest match in Tour history, lasting four hours and 12 minutes.

The winners of this clash would secure the No. 2 seeding for the Mexico Major, and it is Perlamita who will hold on to that position. After suffering three consecutive defeats against Sánchez-Ustero, the team coached by Claudio Gilardoni imposed their rhythm to seal a 6-4, 7-5 victory in one hour and 38 minutes.

It will be their 12th final of the season, where they will face Calvo-Fernández (#4), who overcame the team that knocked out the world No. 1s in the quarter-finals: Claudia Jensen-Tamara Icardo (#6). The Prodigy Girls have continued to go from strength to strength since joining forces and will be looking to claim their third title as a team in Dubai, following their triumphs in London and Düsseldorf.

It will be the seventh meeting between the two teams this year, with the head-to-head record currently tied at 3-3. It will also be a first-ever final between them, as all four players had previously only faced one another in semi-finals.

Meanwhile, Perlamita’s victory will come as a major relief to Triay-Brea, who suffered their first defeat before the semi-finals at the Dubai P1 this season. If Triay-Brea reach the quarter-finals of the Mexico Major, they will mathematically secure the FIP world No. 1 ranking for the second consecutive year.

Libaak-Alfonso Continue to Break New Ground

In the men’s draw, the standout story was Libaak-Alfonso’s qualification for the final. The No. 10 seeds have shown tremendous resilience in Dubai this week, just days after suffering a painful defeat in the deciding match of the FIP World Cup final against Coki Nieto-Arturo Coello, which secured the world title for Spain.

Libaak-Alfonso won the shortest match of the day, defeating Juani De Pascual-Javi Garrido (#14) in just one hour and two minutes. Their opponents had previously knocked out Mike Yanguas-Coki Nieto (#5) in the Round of 16 and Franco Stupaczuk-Jon Sanz (#3) in the quarter-finals. The Argentine team produced a 6-1, 6-4 victory to reach their first final together, a goal that seemed a long way off when they joined forces in July.

Libaak will experience his first final on Tour, while Alfonso will contest his third, having lost the previous two alongside Tolito Aguirre last season at the Gijón P2 and Cancún P2. Reaching the final has also put both players firmly in contention for a place at the Finals, which will feature only the top 16 players in the FIP Race.

With at least 600 points secured each, Alfonso currently sits inside the qualifying positions, while Libaak is just 70 points short, with the FIP Platinum Aguascalientes and Mexico Major still to come. Should they win the Dubai P1, Alfonso will strengthen his position further, while Libaak will move into the qualifying spots for the prestigious season-ending event.

On Sunday, they will face Lebrón-Augsburger (#2) for the third time. The Argentine duo have already beaten them in Madrid and Kuwait. Coached by Agustín Gómez Silingo, Lebrón-Augsburger gave underdogs Flavio Abbate-Franco Dal Bianco (#30) no chance in their semi-finals, securing a 6-4, 6-2 victory in one hour and four minutes.

It will be their fifth final together this season, following those in Cancún, Brussels, Málaga and Milan. They will be looking to claim their second title as a team after defeating Agustín Tapia-Arturo Coello on Belgian soil.

Two First-Ever Finals

The Dubai P1 will feature two finals that have never taken place before. Here is the order of play for the matches that will decide the champions of the third edition of the Dubai P1:

Starting at 6.00 pm local time

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

Not before 8.00 pm local time

Lebrón-Augsburger (#3) vs Libaak-Alfonso (#10)